SPF Reaction to the Scottish Budget 2022/23

Reacting to today’s Scottish Budget, the Chair of the Scottish Property Federation Kevin Robertson said:

‘Today’s budget offers temporary relief for some of the businesses hardest hit by the pandemic in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. However, it does not go far enough to support businesses in other sectors that are entering a further year of business rates liabilities based on pre-pandemic levels of activity. 

‘Our high streets and city centre economies continue to bear the brunt of the economic shock, and the new variant of COVID-19 will create further uncertainty as we head into 2022. The Scottish Government has missed an opportunity to make business rates in these locations more sustainable by resetting the tax base and incentivising much needed investment’.

On measures to support green investment, Kevin Robertson added:

‘The addition of solar panel installation as an eligible property improvement to attract Business Growth Accelerator relief is welcomed by the SPF. Accounting for around 40% of emissions, our built environment has an important part to play in addressing climate challenge and further policies designed to encourage investment to improve our existing stock will be essential’.