Plans for Manx property rates reform 'stalled' due to pandemic

Proposals to overhaul the rating system were backed by Tynwald in 2019

Plans to change the way property rates are calculated on the Isle of Man "stalled" because of the coronavirus pandemic, a minister has said.

A proposal to introduce a system based on property size was approved by politicians in October 2019.

Cabinet Office Minister Kate Lord Brennan said any decision on modernisation should now be the subject of another Tynwald debate.

Rates are currently based on 1970s rental values of homes.

Ms Lord-Brennan told the House of Keys, while aerial photography of island properties had been taken in 2020, further consultation on the issue had then been proposed.

Modernising the rates system was "undoubtedly complex and resource-intensive" and required "careful consideration and assessment", she said.

Modernisation would need to be considered regarding where it fits among the immediate priorities for the Cabinet Office, which was currently focused on the development of the government's five-year Island Plan, she added.

MHKs questioned why rate reform was not in that plan, and whether there was a real commitment to change the system.

Chris Thomas MHK said previous proposals had already been accepted by Tynwald, and called for the Cabinet Office to work with the Treasury to "actually revisit" the idea.

Ms Lord-Brennan said it was something Tynwald could look at again "down the line".

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