Business rates on Main Street in Larne are the same as Regent Street in London.
A SMALL business trading from modest premises in a town like Larne can expect to pay up to three times more in rates than if operating in London, a new report claims. [...] Larne businessmen Tom and Paul McMullan are now demanding that the NI Affairs Select Committee at Westminster conducts an inquiry into business rates in Northern Ireland and have lobbied MP Sammy Wilson in support of their campaign over "ridiculously high" rates, which also has the backing of industry bodies like Retail NI and Hospitality. [...] "So at the £5,000 and £12,000 NAV data points, the London business escapes all liability for business rates while on the other hand the Larne business will have to pay a rates bill of £2,402 and £6,149 respectively.