Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language
Today, I am launching a consultation on the Welsh Government’s proposals to improve the council tax appeals process in Wales, as a contribution to meeting our Programme for Government commitment to a fairer council tax.
The Welsh Government has previously consulted on ambitions for a fairer council tax, and the Local Government Finance (Wales) Act 2024 subsequently approved by the Senedd confirms that council tax will be redesigned in 2028. As we prepare for those changes, I am also considering where other parts of the system can be improved in the meantime to ensure its continued effectiveness.
We heard from previous consultations how the appeals framework could be improved and we have been working with local government, the Valuation Office Agency and the Valuation Tribunal for Wales. The proposed changes seek to make the appeals process streamlined, more effective and easier to navigate. We propose to enable the Valuation Office Agency to provide taxpayers with more of the property information they hold for council tax bandings earlier in the process, improving transparency and enabling taxpayers to make informed decisions sooner. We also propose to remove the current automatic forwarding of appeals to the Valuation Tribunal Wales without taxpayers being active in that decision, giving taxpayers the choice of whether to progress to a tribunal hearing or not.
The appeals process is a fundamental aspect of a fair tax system and reviewing the current framework is an important element of council tax reform. Improvements will ensure that the framework remains fit for purpose.
The consultation sets out the Welsh Government’s proposals and asks for views. It will run for 12 weeks from 10 January to 3 April 2025. I look forward to considering the contributions received.