In the UK, Scottish pressure has been added to that south of the border for relief from increases in business rates for hospitality venues.
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UKHospitality Scotland has urged the country’s First Minister to look at the multi-million pound increase in business rates that it believes will seriously harm Scotland’s hospitality industry.
A Programme for Government is on the way in Scotland and UKHospitality Scotland executive director Leon Thompson has asked for a commitment that rates will not rise with inflation. The Scottish government is also under pressure from the New Deal for Business Group to look at non-domestic rates.
Said Thompson: “After an extremely challenging year for Scottish hospitality with the chaos of the Deposit Return Scheme and ever-worsening cost of doing business crisis, the First Minister has an invaluable opportunity to set out a positive vision for the sector.”
He said that the expected inflation-linked rates increase in April would deliver "a multi-million pound blow" to businesses and head room was desperately needed.