A leading hotelier has this week warned of the risk of Scotland scaring off visitors from England who will be vital to help the country’s key tourism sector recover from the devastation caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Gordon Campbell Gray, who owns the famed Three Chimneys on Skye and The Pierhouse at Port Appin in Argyll, said some customers in England had cancelled planned stays amid fears about how they would be treated in Scotland.

READ MORE: It comes as there have been calls from some quarters for the border between Scotland and England to be closed over fears people travelling from the south following the easing of lockdown measures could lead to the virus spreading north.

People with their own pensions who purchased commercial property as part of the pot may have paid stamp duty or land and buildings tax unnecessarily, it has been claimed this week.

David McGhie, a director at accountants and advisors Acumen, says the intricacies of the Finance Act 2003 have led to a general belief that land and buildings tax and stamp duty is payable on the purchase of all commercial property.

READ MORE: However, it is claimed there is no requirement to tax property transferred from a pension partnership to a connected pension trust scheme. In one example, the taxman found in favour of a client who held a property jointly with his wife and who rented the property to their family-controlled company.

A 350-capacity restaurant and bar in the Argyle Street Arches in Glasgow, which claims to be the biggest in Scotland, has revealed it is fully booked for advance reservations for its opening month.

READ MORE: Platform, which highlights its “pivoting” of the operation from an indoor food market to create “Scotland’s largest casual restaurant and street food kitchen in a beautiful transformation of the iconic Argyle St Arches”, as it opened its doors this week.

Also this week, the head of ScottishPower has warned that the creation of hundreds of much-needed new jobs in Scotland has been put at risk by a controversial ruling issued last week by the energy regulator.

Speaking to The Herald, chief executive Keith Anderson said his and other firms from the sector are in discussions with Scottish and UK Government officials about proposals from Ofgem that would slash the returns they are allowed to recoup from tens of billions of pounds of upgrades in the coming five years.

READ MORE: The “draft determination” from Ofgem, headed by newly-installed boss Jonathan Brearley, also cut the total amount that energy firms had proposed to invest by £8 billion to £25bn.

Ian McConnell: Whether European Research Group chairman Mark Francois sees value of EU is neither here nor there amid this Brexit shambles

Mark Williamson: £2 billion green homes plan will not help Scotland

Monday Interview: North Sea heavyweight ramping up production West of Shetland

And finally: Scottish "dining domes" launched

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