The SNP has come under fire amid claims that rates at the party’s headquarters will be cut by 34% – while businesses across Scotland face huge rises.
Scottish Liberal Democrats said yesterday the revelations would leave a “bitter taste in the mouth” of many firms.
But the nationalists insisted neither they nor the Scottish Government have any input in the independent process.
A revaluation of business rates is currently being carried out by the Scottish Assessors Association, with the changes due to take effect on April 1.
This precedes a Scottish Government review of the rates system, led by former RBS Scotland chairman Ken Barclay, which will report its findings in the summer.
Companies across the north-east are staring at crippling increases of up to 250% and some have said they could go bankrupt without relief.
Reports have now emerged that changes to the notional worth of the Edinburgh building that houses the SNP’s main office – and the threshold at which an extra levy is charged for large businesses – mean its bill will fall by more than a third.
Mike Rumbles, Scottish Lib Dems business manager and north-east MSP, said: “While some businesses are now having to contemplate their future due to these changes, it turns out the SNP will profit from them.
“The news that the headquarters of the SNP is set to gain from their proposed changes to business rates will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of many businesses.”
He also reiterated his party’s call for a transitional scheme to give businesses time to appeal their valuations.
The Scottish Conservatives have formally called on Finance Secretary Derek Mackay to make an urgent statement to Holyrood on the wider issue.
An SNP spokesman said: “Rating valuation is undertaken by independent assessors and neither the Scottish Government – nor the SNP – has any locus or input in this process.
“The SNP’s actions in government mean that from April 1, half of all businesses in Scotland will pay absolutely no business rates and seven out of 10 businesses will pay either nothing or less than they did last year.”
The Scottish Government has previously said it is for councils to apply rates reductions – on top of existing statutory relief – as they see fit.
It also points to Mr Mackay’s decision to cut poundage – the core tax rate that applies to the rateable value of business properties – by 3.7% to 46.6p.
