£2.2 billion package offers rate relief and grant assistance for businesses

Small businesses and hospitality, leisure and retail properties are to be assisted with grants as the Scottish Government outlined actions being taken to support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

The government are also urging local authorities to relax planning rules to allow pubs and restuarants to operate temporarily as takeaways.

The Scottish economy is facing an immediate collapse in demand, economy secretary Fiona Hyslop has said.

A £2.2 billion package is to be delivered from April 1.

Also included are:

• a full year’s 100 per cent non-domestic rates relief for retail, hospitality and tourism
• £10,000 grants for small businesses in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief
• £25,000 grants for hospitality, leisure and retail properties with a rateable value between £18,000 and £51,000
• 1.6 per cent relief for all properties, effectively freezing the poundage rate next year
• First Minister to convene an emergency meeting of the Financial Services Advisory Board
• extending the go live date for the deposit return scheme to July 2022
• halting the introduction of the Visitor Levy Bill

Ms Hyslop said: “The overall economic impact is clearly likely to be significant, though the scale and duration of the impact are difficult to predict.

“Depressed economic activity this year will have implications for the public finances through lower tax receipts and higher welfare spending.

“This will have severe economic consequences and we are treating it as an economic emergency, triggered by the enormity of the health emergency.

“I welcome the further support announced by the Chancellor and the Scottish Government will pass all consequentials to businesses to help them through this challenging period.”