{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Go Radio Business Show with Hunter & Haughey. Scotland’s Business Podcast.","title":"Tackling Scotland's Business Rates Crisis","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3918,"description":"Air Date: March 3rd, 2026\nHosts: Lord Willie Haughey and Sir Tom Hunter\nScotland’s business community is sounding the alarm—and this episode puts the crisis front and centre.\nLord Haughey and Sir Tom are joined by some of the country’s most influential business leaders to confront what many are calling a broken, unfair and unaccountable business rates system.\nFrom eye‑watering 400–500% rate hikes, to stories of bank accounts frozen, investments punished, and jobs put at risk, this is a raw, no‑nonsense conversation about how Scotland’s current approach to non‑domestic rates is choking growth, killing confidence, and threatening the future of high streets and hospitality.\nThe panel pulls no punches, laying out shocking real‑world examples, exposing a democratic deficit in the assessor system, and offering clear, practical solutions—including freezes, reform, and radical alternatives.\nIf you care about jobs, investment, or the future of Scottish business, this is an episode you can’t ignore.\nEpisode Highlights\n\n\nEye‑watering rate hikes exposed – real examples of 400–500% increases in business rates, threatening otherwise successful businesses.\nInvestment punished, not rewarded – owners who invested millions in properties hit with massive uplifts immediately after refurbishment.\nJobs on the line – hundreds of roles at risk as hospitality, retail, and leisure operators warn closures are inevitable if nothing changes.\nBank accounts frozen – shocking account of a council attempting to withdraw £134,000 directly from a business bank account.\nA system with no accountability – assessors described as answerable only to the judiciary, not government or elected officials.\n14 assessors, 14 different rules – glaring inconsistencies across Scotland with identical properties treated vastly differently.\nThe ‘800 bills’ bombshell – one business told it could face 800 separate rates bills for four sites under current interpretations.\nNorthern Ireland comparison – why Scotland...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/f3_Bcqs3gAP0Bg-D9wSlWNsMij_OS7pJBu9pV2YM-s0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xNTgz/NTA4N2M5MTUzYzk3/MjJmNDcwMGMwNzA1/MTJmZi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}