Queen appeals her rates bill in Scotland

Some estates are arguing that because they bring tourists to an area they are benefitting local business etc. but those tourists also cause wear & tear on local resources. If Ye Olde Worlde Tea Room & The Village Souvenir shop & B&B have to pay business rates then so should estates be paying at equivalent rates. Big business needs to stop opting out of its responsibilities.

Can't speak for all owners of large estates but that possibility does exist. Following a review of business rates these estates will lose out on exemptions they had but which were not available to other businesses.
Hence appeals against new rates evaluations.

I don’t give a fig how much wealth people have as long as they pay their due’s.

So as I have gathered it is not just The Queen, but all large Estate Owners in Scotland who are querying a change in the tax status of land used for shooting, fishing etc?

Blimey annep Queenie can always ask the Duke of Cornwall to help out if she is short of a penny or two! Over £19m pa profit and that was over 10 years ago! He can spare £19k for his mum surely?

Oh I do enjoy these threads ?.
I hope someone opened my link and read the history of the Duchy of Cornwall. just one little example of how royalty acquired the land

If the Queen's estates pay what is deemed 'a fair share' of business rates, then obviously the local community will benefit. Lairds and landowners have long had an unfair advantage and Holyrood aims to redress the balance.
Gilly may not benefit directly but is there any reason why she shouldn't be supportive of other communities even if at a distance.
I sympathise with those who will lose their homes because of airport runway extensions or HS2 although these projects will not affect me directly.
I'm sorry that folk in Swindon and the NE will be out of work.
'There but for the grace of God go I" or the alternative view "There is no such thing as community" ( whether national or local )??

Oh for goodness sake Annie what do you want me to say ? I’ve already acknowledged that her paying more won’t mean I will pay less . Anyway she will need every penny now, with a new GGC on the way . Second thoughts maybe they should abolish her CT altogether .
There happy now?

The Scottish Government has been battling away on the land ownership issue for many years. The new regulations are aimed at bringing large "sporting" estates into line with other businesses like shops and cafes, many of which do struggle to pay.

An exemption for the sporting estates has been removed and most of them don't like it. Most of them will be appealing the amounts charged, or at least querying them. This is the clearest explanation I can find at the moment. Apologies if someone has already explained this on another thread.

www.thenational.scot/news/17447506.revealed-the-queen-appeals-scottish-tax-bill-for-balmoral

I don't know why the hunting, shooting and fishing businesses were exempt in the first place but there are quite a few anomalies like that where big landowners seem to have a cushier time and I'm glad to see this kind of reform go through.

Privately, a lot of Labour and Lib Dem politicians also support this kind of policy in Scotland, but they aren't always allowed to voice that because of - well - politics, and in case they are seen as supporting a move to independence.

Each to their own, I am seriously thinking of adopting the Queens way - never explain, never apologies.

The Queen has as much right as anyone else to appeal her rates bill. I doubt it'll get her anywhere though! I imagine she gets her income through investments as do a lot of people, pension funds, British Airways, whatever!!!
MawBroon. ???

Then why want her rates doubled gilly ?

Although pissing on her lawn ain’t gonna make mine any greener is it? wink

I think I already said that up thread Annie it wouldn’t in the slightest .

annie if you look gilly has already acknowledged it won't help her situation. ?

When did the US usage of “appeal” as a transitive verb become common practice in UK English?
I would still expect to read appeal against
OED
[intransitive] appeal (to somebody/something) (against something) to make a formal request to a court or to somebody in authority for a judgment or a decision to be changed
He said he would appeal after being found guilty on four counts of murder
The company is appealing against the ruling.
In North American English, the form appeal (something) (to somebody/something) is usually used, without a preposition”The company has ten days to appeal the decision to the tribunal”.

gilly how will doubling the queens rates help you ?

It is not "wouldn't pay their rates", it is an appeal - which may or may not succeed. She or her agent has as much right to appeal as anyone else.

Is the amount a reasonable one for the property on which it is charged ? If not, then it will be reduced, If it is judged reasonable, the charge will stand and be paid, out of her personal piggy bank, not from what she receives out of taxes.

Although pissing on her lawn ain’t gonna make mine any greener is it?

I think Her maj’s £16000 bill is a absolute bargain ( in comparison to my almost £2000) and I hope when she appeals they double it !

The moors within the extensive Balmoral estate belong to her and are rightly charged as a busness, paying rates accordingly.
We had a thread a while back, comparing council tax around the country and as gilly points out the results were quite shocking.

Sounds crazy to me! We have an almost 100% Tory council and the same accusations are thrown at them re high payments to them but no services ..and high cost housing plans going through on the nod but never any social or even affordable homes!,

The council tax in my labour controlled borough is one of the highest in the country PECS . Services are diabolical, there are pot holes aplenty and most of the shops are gone . The council executives ( of which there are many ) enjoy sone of the highest council salaries in the country (think £120-150k each plus pensions and expenses) There is a high proportion of elderly ( ex heavy industry and mining ) needing social care and wages are some of the lowest in the country. Those of us who can pay are pushed to the limits.

I think I pay more council tax than the highest band in Kensington and Chelsea . Fair ? I don’t think so .

Are the moors privately owned by the queen ?

Sorry Jalima I'll put on my cap and tug the rim instantly ..I DONT get it .Like any other person who has hundreds of millions of pounds and who EARNS money from land she should pay tax on it.Given the fact the bloody government is subsidising the "moors" by tens of millions already she's doing more than OK .There should be an outcry about it and there likely will be here ,we're not genetically programmed to be cap tuggers .

Have just looked the info up. It is business rate because the land is used commercially for shooting and stalking.
A change in the rating system in 2016 in Scoctland has caused the hike.