The new scam on the block targeting small businesses in Manchester

Dear Readers — Carmelo and Chiara Signorelli arrived in Manchester in 2019 looking for a fresh start. They opened Bar Etna, a small Italian restaurant in Altrincham, last year and things were going well, but they were keeping an eye on their spending. Shortly after opening, a business rates agent appeared at the door with an unusual offer. He claimed he could cancel their business rates bill entirely and all they had to do was pay a fee upfront. It seemed almost impossible, too good to be true. That’s because it is.

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By Mollie Simpson

Last June, Carmelo and Chiara Signorelli, owners of Bar Etna, a small Sicilian restaurant in Altrincham, had an unexpected visitor. A smartly dressed 50-year-old man arrived unannounced bearing good news. It could cut them a much better deal on their business rates.

The couple had moved to Manchester from Sicily in 2019 with the dream of setting up a restaurant together. They managed to open last summer and were doing well. When we met at an empty restaurant table in May, Chiara balanced baby Nicholas on her hip, stroking his dark curls, while their daughter Rebecca sat across the room, quietly reading a book. After our conversation was interrupted by calls from suppliers and people wanting to reserve tables, Carmelo made me a strong black coffee and we talked about the stress of running a small business.

When they first opened, like any small hospitality business, the line between profit and loss was thin, so they kept a close watch on revenue. That included business rates.

Business rates are a type of council tax for business premises, calculated by the Valuation Office Agency and paid to the local council. Carmelo and Chiara thought they had already received the maximum possible discount under the government’s tariff reduction policy to help small businesses: a full 75% discount. But the agent promised he could go ahead. All they had to do was sign a contract with his company, Rateable Value Experts, and pay £700 plus VAT.

“I remember him saying that your business rates will be reduced, probably even cancelled,” Chiara recalls, her voice angry. Then the agent gave them the ultimate assurance: if they couldn’t get them a discount, they’d get all their money back.