Union group adds its voice to business rates debate
THE Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and USDAW, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, have banded together to call for a permanent business rate discount for all retailers in Scotland.
Following on from the announcement that retailers in England will receive a permanently discounted business rate from April, the two industry bodies have called on the Scottish Government to follow suit in its own Budget announcement in January. Stores south of the border are set to receive a 10% discount on their business rates.
Tony Doonan, regional secretary for Scotland as USDAW, said: “A thriving retail industry is good for the availability of local jobs and career opportunities, better training and pay progression, as well as for investment on our high streets and in our town and city centres.
“We’re calling on MSPs to implement a permanent business rate discount for all shops from next April otherwise there is a real risk that Scotland will miss out on the development of new stores and existing stores will become less attractive and viable options to invest in.
“That’s not good for the condition of our high streets, shopping centres and retail parks, nor for staffing levels and job opportunities here in Scotland.”
The SRC has said that the retail sector remains one of Scotland’s largest private sector employers, with 235,000 Scots directly employed by the industry with thousands more in the supply chain.
As such, the organisation has urged ScotGov to recognise this in the Scottish Budget and protect the retail sector, and its workers, through a meaningful rates discount come January.
David Lonsdale, director at the SRC, said: “USDAW’s intervention underlines how continued investment in stores is essential to maintaining retail jobs and keeping shops viable and attractive to customers, in turn driving footfall and minimising the number of shuttered shopfronts.
“The Scottish Government should be making it as easy and affordable as possible for retailers to invest and create jobs, opportunities which often give our young people their first step onto the career ladder.
“That’s why it’s critical that Government ensure all shops here don’t miss out on a business rate discount which is being brought into effect in England. If it becomes materially more expensive to operate shops north of the border than elsewhere that’s likely to shift investment to other parts of the UK, have consequences for retail jobs, and make economic recovery here more arduous.
“Ministers and MSPs must seize the opportunity in the Scottish Budget next month to ensure all retailers in Scotland benefit from a business rate which is at least as competitive as England’s discount.”
