Scottish Budget 2021

It was disappointing in the extreme that they did not even at least match the levels of relief granted in England for non-domestic ratepayers in the retail, hospitality, leisure and aviation sectors.

An outline of the main details are as follows:

• Retail, leisure, hospitality and aviation relief – 50% for three months only capped at £27,500 per ratepayer. The devil will be in the detail but if taken literally, and not on a “per property” basis, this is equivalent to only £55,000 of rateable value
• Poundage to be increased to 49.8p – this reflects an increase on current levels of 2021/22
• Business Growth Accelerator is to continue to give 100% relief for all new builds
• Small Business Bonus Scheme is to remain unchanged for one year at 100% relief for all small businesses with a rateable value up to £15,000
• BGA and Small Business Reliefs are as existing and were anticipated to persist for the lifetime of the current parliament in any event
• New legislation to be introduced for “phoenix companies” and the ability for local authorities not to award relief in these circumstances
• All other reliefs have been maintained as per current position.

We will continue to update you and discuss how our team of rating specialists, the largest in the country, can continue to give you the best in class advice we have provided in Scotland for over 50 years.

As ever we are here to discuss any specific issues regarding your properties and will keep you informed of further development regarding business rates.