Greene demands Robison follows NI’s rates pause – Daily Business

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene has called on Holyrood to follow the Northern Ireland government and pause increases in business rates.

Northern Ireland Finance Minister John O’Dowd yesterday announced a pause in the process which would have seen large rates increases for many in the hospitality sector.

Mr Greene wants Holyrood to do the same and head off sharp rises when new rateable values are due to come into effect on 1 April for 260,000 properties in Scotland.

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce has warned that sharp business rate increases – in some cases approaching 300% – will push otherwise viable businesses “to the brink”.

Mr Greene said: “The Scottish Government just doesn’t seem to understand small business.

“These are not colossal firms who might be more easily able to absorb their business rates bill doubling or tripling. Often these small operators are already struggling to make payroll at the end of the month.”

Business leaders, including those in retail and hospitality, said measures outlined by Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison in her draft 2026-27 Budget failed to go far enough.

Ms Robison said basic, intermediate and higher property rates would be reduced, while firms would receive transitional rates relief worth £184 million over the next three years.

She went on to pledge further relief for retail, hospitality and leisure sector businesses which are liable for rates at either the basic or intermediate level, with this help worth up to £110,000 per business per year.

But Leon Thompson executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, said the Scottish Budget had “not sufficiently addressed the challenges that hospitality businesses in Scotland face”, adding the majority of firms “will still be paying higher business rates bills in April”.

He said: “The package of reliefs put forward to help mitigate the impact of these increases is merely a sticking plaster to cap eye-watering bills.

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said the goivernment had provided a “limited business rate discount for retail and hospitality businesses”.

This fell “well short of the permanent business rate discount on offer to retailers in England”.

Mr Greene said the Northern Ireland government had “belatedly realised that pushing these firms to the brink is bad for jobs and bad for business investment. Now Scottish ministers need to do the same.

“If firms shut up shop, there will be no business rates revenue at all.

“Too often small business owners feel like the deck is stacked against them. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to build a business culture that encourages investment, entrepreneurialism and hard work. That won’t happen with a fresh storm of business rates.”