The Press and Journal’s Fresh Start campaign is expected to secure a win for businesses, with Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth due to outline support measures in a statement to the Scottish Parliament today.
Speaking to the newspaper, Ms Gilruth backed calls to reform business rates relief and acknowledged the pressures facing firms.
“I know from my own constituency really small businesses are struggling just now,” she said.
“Not just with business rates but with things like inflation impacting on their energy bills, staffing costs, VAT concerns and hospitality.”
The Press and Journal campaign, which also runs across The Courier and The Sunday Post, is calling for changes to the Fresh Start scheme so businesses can access rates relief as soon as a property becomes vacant, rather than after six months.
Ms Gilruth said: “We put in place rates relief that was in the budget this year – £870 million going to businesses across the country to help support them.
“But we’ve also got the small business bonus which is the most generous of its kind in the UK, which makes a huge difference.
“We want to go further so we support the campaign and I’ll set out more detail to that in Parliament.”
It is understood today’s parliamentary statement will include reforms to non-domestic rates and changes to the Fresh Start policy.