EDINBURGH BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM £638M RATES RELIEF OVER SEVEN YEARS
8,291 BUSINESSES IN THE CAPITAL SUPPORTED BY SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT SCHEME
New figures show that the Scottish Government’s business rate relief scheme saved businesses in Edinburgh £638M between 2009-10 and 2016-17.
Across Scotland, this scheme has saved taxpayers around £4.5 billion between 2009-10 and 2015-16 by reducing their rates liability and taking many firms out of business rates altogether.
And across the Scottish Capital, the latest figures show that 8,291 local firms benefitted from this flagship Scottish Government policy in 2016. This figure does not, however, include premises that qualified for the new 100% reliefs introduced, including Day Nursery Relief and the Business Growth Accelerator.
Commenting, Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, Gordon Macdonald, said: “The SNP is delivering the most competitive business
rates relief package in the whole of the UK, saving businesses across Edinburgh £638M over the last seven years. The Scottish Government are also set to spend an estimated record £720 million on rates relief across Scotland in this year alone.
“Since coming to office, the SNP Scottish Government has taken strong action to support business growth and jobs in our capital, helping to keep money in our neighbourhoods and boost our local economies.
“Only the SNP are taking the necessary action to help our local firms – and it is great to see 8,291 firms benefitting from rates relief in 2016, a figure that will likely rise with the new measures introduced in this year’s budget.”
