Almost one in six companies that pay business rates have faced the threat of court action over arrears, according to research that is likely to prompt fresh concerns over the burden of the commercial property tax.
A year after the contentious revaluation of business rates, it has been estimated that about 190,000 companies received a summons to appear before magistrates over unpaid bills.
Altus Group, a firm of property advisers that conducted the research based on freedom of information requests to every council in England, said this meant that 15.2% of businesses that received rates demands had been pursued over unpaid tax debts.
