This petition calls for Boston Borough Council to reconsider its proposal of withdrawing Discretionary Rate Relief to voluntary, community and sporting organisations in the Boston Borough area in April 2009. The proposals will put unnecessary burdens on this sector with many groups facing the very real possibility of bankruptcy. The proposal has been Called In to the Overview and Scutiny Panel on March 6th 2008 but your support and views are still needed. The reasons that we would like to stop this proposal are as follows: 1. This relief is from business rates. The key point about charities and community amateur sports clubs is of course that they are not businesses at all, and it is only right that local authorities should exercise their discretion not to treat them as businesses. 2. The policy puts a cap on relief at £500 per organisation. The Council will require payment of several thousand pounds from a number of organisations, and the appeal process referred to only relates to the granting or otherwise of the relief which is capped at £500. It does not relate to any sum exceeding £500. 3. It has been a long and proud tradition of Boston Borough Council that ever since reorganisation in 1974, no rates have been charged on sports clubs or charities. It seems a shame that for a relatively small amount of £25,000 that modest help to voluntary organisations is being substantially withdrawn. The cost to those vluntary organisations and their many members and clients will far outweigh the modest financial benefit to the Borough. 4. Some organisations are to be exempted from the requirement to pay â

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