Announced by the VOA yesterday (Thursday 12 March), the amalgamation will take effect on Wednesday 1 April 2026. The VOA will then no longer exist as an executive agency.
The Treasury asserted the change would not impact the delivery of core or statutory services, including business rates valuation checks and challenges, Council Tax band challenges and the work carried out by rent officers.
A VOA spokesperson told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) the move was part of the Government’s review on the status of all “arm’s length bodies”.
Greater oversight
They added integrating the Government departments would give ministers “greater oversight and accountability” for delivering their priorities to modernise the tax system and improve the experience of taxpayers and businesses.
“Integration into HMRC will not impact the delivery of our services”, the spokesperson said.
“Work on areas such as Revaluation 2026 will continue as normal, alongside our Check and Challenge service for business rates.”
This comes as a wave of rouge business rates agents were found to be targeting the hospitality sector, prompting the VOA to launch a new code of conduct to hold organisations to a higher standard.
Launched last year, the VOA urged operators to watch out for promises of big reductions in rates, as rogue agents often do this by submitting inaccurate information, which could result in penalties or increased bills.
Red flags
In addition, dishonest brokers may also charge substantial fees for providing poor quality submissions. The VOA said this behaviour commonly occurs around billing periods and when property valuations are updated.
It added operators should be cautious of any agent that tries to pressure them into making a decision or signing a contact as well as those claiming to be acting on behalf of the VOA or forwarding emails from the agency.
Demanding large sums of money upfront or making claims about ‘unclaimed credits’ were also red flags highlighted by the Government agency.
Businesses do not need to use an agent to manage their business rates accounts but it is their responsibility to ensure the information an agent provides is correct.
