Campaigners say the government intends to charge business rates for small solar installations on schools, but academies, private and free schools will be exempt due to charitable status
State schools with solar panels will be hit with a tax hike that exempts private schools, free schools and academies, according to campaigners.
The government proposes to end an exemption for small solar panel installations (less than 50 kilowatts) and charge business rates on them from April 2017. The charity 10:10 has calculated this will cost schools more than £820 a year for the average 10kW installation and, combined with recent cuts to the subsidy paid for rooftop solar energy, make future projects risky or uneconomic.
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Source: Guardian Environment