ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a ruling from the Supreme Court which has concluded that external ATMs should not be subject to a separate business rates assessment.
Valuation officers challenged a Court of Appeal ruling which concluded that ATMs at existing properties, either inside or outside, should not be subject to separate bills
In a ruling today (20th May) a panel of five justices dismissed the Government’s appeal and upheld the Court of Appeal decision from November 2018.
There will no longer be a separate business rates bill for ATMs hosted in convenience stores and there is an estimated £430 million in reimbursements to be paid.
Figures from the 2019 Local Shop Report show that 46% of convenience stores have a free to use cash machine, with 18% having a pay to use machine.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “This is a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court which will have huge impact on our sector and will help maintain widespread access to cash. Local shops provide the communities that they serve with vital services, including access to cash, but it had become increasingly difficult for retailers to host ATMs with the high cost of business rates and cuts to interchange fees.
“The Government now needs to implement the Supreme Court ruling by setting up a simple refund process which ensures full compensation is paid to all retailers who have been subject to wrongful business rates bills for ATMs”.
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