Trump’s golf course wins £110,000 Ttaxrebate

A luxury golf resort on the Ayrshire coast owned by Donald Trump was handeda£110,000taxrebate by Scottish ministers as part of an emergency bailout aimed at helping small businesses. Trump Turnberry received a “mandatory” rebate as part of a relief scheme to reduce the property taxes paid by the hospitality industry.

It was introduced by the Scottish Government following complaints from businesses in the northeast suffering from an economic downturn caused by the slump in oil prices and subsequently applied across the country.

Trump Turnberry had its property tax cut by £109,530 as a result of the measure, a freedom of information request made by The Guardian and The Ferret news agency found.

MSPS said the figures highlighted the unfairness of a property tax system which took no account of a business’s profitability.

“Trump’s brand is toxic,” Scottish Greens leader Patrick Harvie said. “It’s bad enough that he has a business presence in Scotland. It’s galling to learn that the public purse is giving him a helping hand.”

The US president said earlier this year that the Ayrshire resort was doing “unbelievably” because of the fall in the value of the pound after the Brexit vote.