Commentary on provisions of Act Section 1 - Regional rates
This Section sets the levels of the regional domestic and regional non-domestic rates that are to be used in the assessment of rates and the Acting of ratepayers in Northern Ireland for the year ending 31 March 2019. Subsection (3) sets the domestic regional rates, expressed in terms of ‘pence per pound of rateable value’, at 0.4365 pence and subsection (2) sets the non-domestic regional rate at 33.41 pence.
	Subsections (4) and (5) clarify that the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland may subsequently vary the rates set by this Act, using the established procedure of an order under the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 and that it may set the rates for the whole of the year in which an order is made. Subsection (5) provides that any such order may only be made by the Department once Ministerial offices have been filled after the passing of this Act.