Charity shops could be hit for rates
CHARITY shops and out-of-town retailers would be hammered under radical plans to save city centres after the coronavirus pandemic.
Proposals aimed at breathing life into urban areas that now resemble ghost towns have been handed to the Scottish Government.
They include recommendations to punish retail parks with higher taxes and parking charges to boost footfall in city centres. The seven councils which drew up the plans also have charity shops in their sights, with a call to review the business rates relief they are afforded.
They will now be considered by Ministers looking at ways of rebuilding out of the pandemic.
Lockdowns and subsequent working from home have left city centres deserted, with Glasgow and Aberdeen in particular suffering some of the lowest footfalls in the UK.
A document handed to The Scottish Mail on Sunday says ‘financial levers’ should be used to encourage people back into cities.
It suggests changes to business rates could be used to tempt retailers back into city centres, and says parking charges could also help increase footfall.
A recommendation states: ‘Look at effects of 100 per cent rates relief – is it skewing market by allowing charity units to overshadow private companies paying full rates.’
The British Heart Foundation Scotland has 75 shops across the country. Mike Taylor, the charity’s commercial director, said: ‘The rates relief we receive plays a vital role in keeping our shops viable, and every pound which would be paid by charity shops in rates is a pound not available for charitable benefit.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our City Centre Recovery Taskforce will develop a shared vision for the future of Scotland’s city centres, with a focus on innovative actions to help them prosper over the next five years, in a way that encourages inclusive and sustainable growth.’