The ASSC have responded to criticism of the holiday let sector in today’s edition of The Courier (16th August 2017). The original article can be seen here. You can access the online version of letter here. A full copy of the letter is available to view below.
“Dear Sir,
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers write in response to Alex Bell’s column (10 August) which discusses holiday lets and the Small Business Bonus. The article contains a number of inaccurate statements and infers that short-term and holiday let owners do not make a sufficient contribution to the communities in which their properties are based. This could not be further from the truth.
As detailed by a report commissioned by the ASSC, Self-Catering in Scotland: The Economic Impact of Short-Term Letting on the Scottish Economy, the traditional self-catering sector supports 15,271 FTE jobs. It also shows the significant knock-on effects it has for the wider economy: self-catering holidaymakers spend £723m in Scotland. The jobs provided, and the visitor spend, clearly benefit communities the length and breadth of Scotland but especially in rural areas.
Furthermore, rather than avoiding tax, many of our members have been the subject of crippling rises in business rates, with an average sector increase of 65% following the recent rates revaluation, the highest increase in the hospitality industry. As tourism is one of Scotland’s most important industries, we believe the taxation system ought to reflect the Scottish Government’s stated aim to grow tourism by 20% by 2020.
Near the end of his piece, Alex Bell refers to the one-sided analysis on short-term lets produced by the Scottish Green Party. With that in mind, we would now respectfully advise that he should consult a far wider range of publications than such a questionable and highly partial report in order to have a full appreciation of the facts.
Yours sincerely,
Fiona Campbell
Chief Executive, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers”