Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977

Appeal against rate N.I.

11.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if a person—

(a) is aggrieved by a district rate; or

(b) is aggrieved by any neglect, act or thing done or omitted by the district council in connection with a district rate; or

(c) has any material objection to the inclusion or exclusion of any person in or from, or to the amount charged to any person in, a regional rate or a district rate;

he may appeal to the county court; and notice of any such appeal shall be served on the Department and, if it relates to a district rate, the district council and shall also be served on any person other than the appellant with respect to whom the rate may be required to be altered in consequence of the appeal; and the Department or the district council or any such person shall, if it or he so desires, be heard on the appeal.

(2) An appeal shall not lie under this Article in respect of any matter in respect of which relief might have been obtained—

(a) under Article 13(3) by means of an appeal as to the appropriate date for the taking effect of an alteration in [F1 a valuation list] ; or

(b) F2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c) under Part III by means of—

(i) an application for revision of [F3 a valuation list] ; or

(ii) an appeal against the making or refusal of an alteration in [F3 a valuation list] or an application for the review of such an alteration.

(3) A rate for any year shall be leviable notwithstanding that notice has been served of an appeal under this Article against the rate, except that, after such notice has been served by any person on the Department and until the appeal has been determined or abandoned, no proceedings shall be commenced or carried on to recover from that person any sum greater than—

(a) the amount leviable by way of rates for the immediately preceding year in respect of the hereditament to which the appeal relates; or

(b) if the hereditament was not included in [F4 any valuation list] in force during that preceding year or any material change of circumstances affecting the hereditament was not taken into account for the purposes of that list, the amount which would have been so leviable if, at the beginning of that preceding year,—

(i) the hereditament had been included in [F5 any relevant list] then in force or an alteration had been made in that list in relation to the hereditament by reason of that change of circumstances; and

(ii) [F6 any net annual value or capital value] of the hereditament, or that value as altered by reason of that change of circumstances, had been included in that list at such amount as the district valuer certifies would have been so included if the facts had been as mentioned in head (i).

(4) Where on an appeal under this Article against a rate the court sees just cause to give relief, then—

(a) the court shall amend the rate in such manner as the court thinks necessary for giving the relief, and may for that purpose alter the amount of a district rate, but shall not quash or wholly set aside such a rate except as permitted by paragraph (5);

(b) if it appears to the court that, as a result of any such amendment, any sum paid in consequence of the rate by any person before the hearing of the appeal ought not to have been paid by or charged on that person, the court shall order that sum to be repaid to that person by the Department together with all reasonable costs occasioned by that person having paid or been required to pay that sum;

(c) if the rate is amended so as to make chargeable any person not previously charged or to increase the charge on any person, the rate as amended shall be leviable on that person in the like manner as if it had always been in its amended form.

(5) If, on an appeal under this Article against a district rate, the court is of the opinion that, for the purpose of giving relief to the appellant, it is necessary that the rate should be wholly quashed, the court may quash the rate; but in that case, subject to paragraph (6), all amounts charged by the rate shall be leviable in like manner as if no appeal had been made and, when paid or recovered, shall be treated as payments on account of the next effective rate.

(6) Where on an appeal under this Article the court orders a district rate to be quashed, the court may order that any sum charged on any person by that rate, or any part of a sum so charged, shall not be paid; and after the making of such an order no proceedings shall be commenced or continued for the purpose of levying that sum or part; but no person shall be liable to any action for any thing done by him for the purpose of levying any sum before he had notice of any order under this paragraph providing for that sum not to be paid.

F1 Words in art. 11(2)(a) substituted (1.12.2006) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, Sch. 2 para. 7(2)(a); S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(2), Sch. 2 (with transitional provisions in S.R. 2006/468, art. 3(1), Sch.)

F2 Art. 11(2)(b) repealed (1.12.2006) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, 41, Sch. 2 para. 7(2)(b), Sch. 3; S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(2), Sch. 2 (with transitional provisions in S.R. 2006/468, art. 3(1), Sch.)

F3 Words in art. 11(2)(c) substituted (1.12.2006) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, Sch. 2 para. 7(2)(c); S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(2), Sch. 2 (with transitional provisions in S.R. 2006/468, art. 3(1), Sch.)

F4 Words in art. 11(3)(b) substituted (1.4.2007) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, Sch. 2 para. 7(3)(a); S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(4)

F5 Words in art. 11(3)(b)(i) substituted (1.4.2007) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, Sch. 2 para. 7(3)(b); S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(4)

F6 Words in art. 11(3)(b)(ii) substituted (1.4.2007) by Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954 (N.I. 18)), arts. 1(3), 39, Sch. 2 para. 7(3)(c); S.R. 2006/464, art. 2(4)