Renewed calls have been made for Aberdeenshire companies to be granted a reprieve from an “unfair and outdated” business levy.
Colin Clark, the Conservative candidate for the up-coming Inverurie and District by-election, is arguing for a freeze on business rates in the area.
And yesterday, Ballater shop owner, Alistair Cassie, demanded “reform” of the rate system across Scotland, adding it does not take account of rents or turnover.
He added: “It is the system that is wrong. The system needs to be reviewed and that is in the hands of the Scottish Government.
“It is a tax before you open the door. The system is antiquated. I am whacked with rates. Surely the politicians can see how high streets are being decimated.
“We have been fighting this corner for years. Nothing is ever done. This is why high streets are struggling. The system is outdated, unfair and absolutely stupid.”
The extra supplement levied on business rates for larger firms doubled in Scotland from 1.3p in the pound to 2.6p earlier this year, but remained the same in England.
Mr Clark pointed to Inverurie while maintaining businesses across Aberdeenshire were “being squeezed” by the Scottish Government.
He added: “We should be supporting our employers, especially during the current downturn in the north-east economy.
“Many of these are family firms with strong links to the local area, but are being hit with ever-increasing bills.
“I want to see a freeze on business rates to offer some relief to these companies who are finding it tough at the moment.”
However, the SNP candidate for the Inverurie and District seat, Neil Baillie, responded: “Lots of businesses, in Inverurie and right across the north-east, have been benefiting for a number of years from the SNP government’s small business bonus scheme, which has cut rates considerably for all kinds of businesses.
“If the Conservatives are at all interested in boosting Inverurie’s economy, they should have their Council group drop their opposition to the SNP’s plans to move Aberdeenshire Council’s HQ out of the city and into Inverurie.”
He added this would “give the best possible boost to Inverurie traders” by attracting customers to the town.
Last night, the Scottish Conservatives were accused of “rank hypocrisy” amid claims the SNP was using the north-east as a “cash cow”.
Earlier this week, the Tories claimed the SNP’s policies would lead to an extra £1billion tax burden on Scots by 2021, a claim later dismissed as “voodoo maths”.
Mr Clark said: “At the moment, it seems the SNP see the north-east and towns like Inverurie as a cash cow, with rising income tax, stamp duty and business rates providing a triple whammy of higher bills.”
However, a spokesman for Scottish finance secretary, Derek Mackay, said: “This is rank hypocrisy from the Tories, who want to hit families across Scotland with extra taxes on health and education and by bringing back prescription charges and tuition fees.
“It is the SNP Government’s small business bonus scheme which has already delivered over £1 billion in total for smaller firms across Scotland – and already offers greater support than the equivalent scheme in England.
“It is benefiting more than 8,500 Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire properties, and will be expanded from next year, so it lifts 100,000 properties across Scotland out of rates altogether.”
