Scottish business rates rises will cause price rises and lost jobs

Respondents, operating around 600 sites, identified three main impacts:

Leon Thompson, Executive Director of UKHospitality Scotland, said: “It’s clear that both businesses and consumers will be hit by business rates bills rising for Scottish hospitality businesses.

“Combined, increases to wage rates and business rates mean that already hard-pressed hospitality venues are under even more pressure. The result is simple – higher prices for consumers and more jobs lost across hospitality.

“This was avoidable, if the Scottish Government had put forward a more generous and universal business rates support package for the sector.

“It shows, once again, that the business rates system is completely broken and in major need of reform. All political parties should now commit to reforming the system through a permanently lower poundage for hospitality.”