As government in Scotland develops, I’m worried it’s being driven more by a determination to make Scotland different from the rest of the UK than a desire to achieve any genuine benefit for people living or trading in Scotland.
At a recent dinner hosted by the BRC in Glasgow, much of the talk around the tables was about tough trading conditions, but also about the extra pressure from this apparent lust for a separate business environment.
UK retailers tell me they increasingly have to build in extra costs to take account of different legislation. That hits retailers and filters through to Scottish customers. And it’s all so at odds with the increasing globalisation of retail and the expansion of the internet. While customers benefit from the removal of national boundaries, the Scottish government seems determined to strengthen them.
Take alcohol. Scotland is heading towards draconian legislation that will create a drastically different regime from the rest of the UK.
A minimum age of 21 for shop sales, though not pub sales (bizarrely one official described pubs to me as a controlled environment), minimum prices, separate tills and retailers forced to pay extra on top of licensing fees on the so-called polluter pays principle.
I sometimes think if the Scottish government believed joy-riding was a particular Scottish problem it would try to tackle it by pushing up the price of petrol.
It’s also suggesting restrictions on tobacco sales, including banning counter displays and a form of licensing for anyone wanting to sell tobacco in Scotland.
We want the same outcomes the Scottish government does: responsible drinking, better health, no underage sales. Sadly its plans won’t deliver these, but will create unfairness, confusion and costs.
Then there’s the local income tax. UK-wide employers will have to set up a different pay data regime for their employees in Scotland.
Just one of our members (with a relatively modest operation in Scotland) reckons system changes would cost£50,000 and they would need at least one more permanent member of staff to cope with the ongoing administration.
As for proposals to force every retail business to submit a waste prevention plan with compulsory waste data returns for larger individual stores in Scotland – when retailers are achieving so much already, where’s the need for this gold plating?
Party politics isn’t our game, neither is the independence debate, but ensuring Scottish retailers can operate efficiently and customers are well served is.
Another brick on the wall might have secured the Roman Empire but, in these difficult times, it might well do the opposite for the Scottish economy.
Stephen Robertson, Director-general, British Retail Consortium
No comments yet