Goldie: We’ll fight SNP’s £30m tax rise on Scottish retailers

Conservatives will vote against the SNP Government's plan to increase business rates on Scottish retailers.

The plans will now only pass if Labour supports the SNP when the Local Government Committee votes on the subject on January 26th 2011.

Annabel Goldie MSP, Scottish Conservative Leader, said:

"This tax rise will hit some of Scotland's premier shopping streets such as Princes Street, Sauchiehall Street and Union Street. It will, for example, force up tax on HMV in Glasgow, just as the company is assessing which 40 of its 285 UK outlets will have to close.

"If Alex Salmond really wants to help small businesses, he could extend the business rate cuts the Conservatives forced on him in his first budget, or he could launch a new round of Town Centre Regeneration Funding, forced on him by the Conservatives in his second budget.

"The SNP has shown its true colours by proposing this £30m tax rise. The retail sector in Scotland is a major employer – higher taxes will only make Scotland less competitive than the rest of the UK. At a time when the UK Government is trying to create more jobs, the SNP Government will destroy Scotland jobs.

"Scottish Conservatives are responsible for delivering tax cuts for small and medium sized businesses, and for forcing the SNP to keep freezing Council Tax. Having delivered lower taxes, we now aim to stop the SNP punishing business with higher taxes.

"The challenge now is for Labour – will they stand with us against the SNP's plans to put up tax, lower investment and cost jobs, or will they add yet another tax rise to their legacy?".

In the 2008 Budget negotiations, Scottish Conservatives secured an acceleration of business rate reductions, a move which FSB Scotland estimates stopped one in eight small businesses from going under.

In the 2009 Budget negotiations, Scottish Conservatives secured a £60m Town Centre Regeneration Fund for local communities.

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