...and guess who’s paying £500k less (yes, it’s Holyrood of course!)
THE Scottish parliament’s business rates are to be cut by more than £500,000.
Holyrood will see its rates slashed from £3,934,650 to £3,424,320 when the revaluation takes effect.
Meanwhile, many shops, companies and tourist attractions nearby will be hit with hefty rises.
Business leaders fear the tax revamp – which follows a review by independent assessors – will cost thousands of jobs across Scotland, forcing many small businesses and shops to close.
Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, believes that the nation’s already fragile pub economy will bear the brunt of the revaluation.
Speaking at the weekend, he said: ‘There is no doubt it’s a scandal – it’s an absolute farce.
‘Our sector is the hardest-hit because of the way we’re being rated, but it is particularly galling to see official buildings’ rates going down when I’m fielding call after call from people telling me they’re going to have to shut because of this. It is incredibly unfair. A real kick in the teeth for businesses.’
Owners of firms near Holyrood spoke out against the rate cut for the parliament building.
The Lei t h Depot pub in Edinburgh, which is only a 20minute walk from the Scottish parliament building, will see its rates bill rise by 141 per cent from £4,936.80 to £11,883.
Co-owner Patrick Kavanagh said the planned increase in rates was ‘ridiculous’.
He said: ‘It’s got the potential of putting us out of business – that’s the reality of it. We are probably going to have to lose some full-time staff.’
At the Oink café in Canongate, Edinburgh, the rates bill is set to rise by about 95 per cent from £4,900.50 to £9,553.
Only a minute’s walk from parliament, Oink has been in business for three years.
Co-owner Sandy Pate, 56, a farmer near Duns, Berwickshire – who runs the company with his brother Adam – said the rates rise could impact on profits.
He said: ‘It’s a substantial increase and it will hit the bottom line – we can absorb it for now, but eventually it will be passed onto the customer.’
No one was available to comment at the Scottish parliament. But a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘For 2017-18, we are not only reducing the rates poundage by 3.7 per cent helping every single ratepayer, we are also expanding the Small Business Bonus Scheme to lift 100,000 properties out of rates completely and raising the threshold for the large business supplement to exclude 8,000 properties.
‘Together these measures reduce the overall non-domestic rates burden by £155million.’