HOSPITALITY leaders have said businesses are in a “worse position than Covid” due to a lack of support amid soaring energy costs and inflation, as they called for a lowering of VAT and increased rates relief.
Bosses from the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), Unite Hospitality and UKHospitality Scotland laid bare the challenges firms were facing during the cost-of-living crisis to MSPs on the Economy and Fair Work Committee on Wednesday as part of its pre-budget scrutiny.
All three insisted the situation being faced now is much more significant than during the pandemic, when thousands of businesses were forced to close completely for months.
