Thirteen charities have launched a campaign against rate relief changes under consultation in Northern Ireland, which they say could lead to closures and redundancies in up to half their shops.
The Department of Finance and Personnel at the Northern Ireland administration is consulting on all aspects of rate relief, including charging more on empty properties and whether charities should continue to receive the same level of rate relief.
Charities are currently entitled to 100 per cent relief on business rates in Northern Ireland, the Charity Retail Association said. If this was removed it would cost the sector £5.5m.
Thirteen charities, including Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation NI and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, have now launched a campaign, ‘More than a shop’. They are calling on the finance minister to ring fence the relief in Northern Ireland.
They are also asking the public to support the campaign by signing a petition, which will be presented at Stormont in March.
Joyce Savage, head of communications and marketing at Cancer Focus NI, said: “Our shops create jobs, contribute to a thriving high street, and provide 5,400 volunteering opportunities, helping young people to gain important work skills and older people to combat social isolation.”
She added that, according to research conducted by the Charity Retail Association, “A 100 per cent rates bill could result in 52 per cent of charity shops closing with 409 redundancies and 1,862 volunteer posts lost.”
Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said: “Every year the charity retail sector raises around £10.5m for good causes in Northern Ireland including tackling poverty, funding world-leading medical research and running local hospices.
“If our charity shops had to pay full rates, this could mean up to £5.5m would no longer be available to charities to fund their vital life-saving and life-changing work.”
Last year the minster for the department of enterprise, trade and investment, Arlene Foster, claimed that charity shops were being used to avoid business rates.
