A HOTELIER has become the latest to join the business rates revolt by refusing to pay controversial new charges.
Colin Finnie, who owns the A-Listed art deco style Northern Hotel in Aberdeen, claimed that years of rates hikes under the SNP Government has put the business under unprecedented pressure over and above the oil price crisis and notice of the latest rise was the "last straw" for his tenant manager who has stepped down.
The oil industry slump has led to a drop in profits of about a quarter, and the businessman, who also owns and leases other commercial properties, said the Scottish Government's business rates policy past and planned are flawed.
Mr Finnie said: "This has placed a huge strain on my tenant of 15 years.
"Just when we thought that things had bottomed out and couldn't get worse, we received the business rates revaluation notice for the hotel.
"The rates were being increased from £125,000 to £187,500 per annum."
He went on: "I'm not going to pay it.
"I will pay the old amount.
"If everybody makes a stand at least we will keep up the pressure."
He held talks with fellow hotelier Stewart Spence, whose Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen is a favourite of Alex Salmond, who had also said he would not pay the proposed 25 per cent increase in his rates as it took no account of a 40 per cent drop in his turnover following the oil price slump.
Industry leaders and politicians have called for the contentious rates to be shelved, insisting proposed changes would tip many in the hospitality sector over the edge.
Groups including Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, the Scottish Tourism Association, Scottish Licensed Trade Association and Glasgow Restaurant Association also urged all businesses to appeal against hiked up rates.
A rates freeze would mean severely affected businesses would continue to pay their current rates but would withhold the additional cash until a review is published in July.
Mr Finnie has owned the hotel, built in 1939, where former footballer Denis Law celebrated his wedding and was previously owned by Aberdeen University for 24 years.
He said: "I am not looking for sympathy.
"It was my choice to go into business and every business has its challenges.
"However what I find really exasperating is that most of the obstacles I've had to overcome in the last 10 years have been caused by the SNP Government."
He said: "I had high hopes for an SNP government in Scotland and voted for them.
"However, they have failed to live up to my expectations."
SNP councillors in Aberdeenshire earlier passed a £3m rate relief scheme to help firms with the largest revaluations.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Our package of measures delivers a tax cut of £155 million, which will help those who might be impacted by a revaluation.
"It will also mean that from April 1 more than half of businesses will pay no rates, seven out of 10 will pay either no or less rates than they do currently, and the total package of reliefs we are offering will increase to more than £600 million.
“The first step open to all those businesses who are concerned is to contact the assessor and discuss how they worked out the provisional value.
"Final valuations will be published in March and businesses have until September to appeal.
"That process is entirely independent and we would encourage firms take up those opportunities.”
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