SCOTLAND’S retail sector can thrive in the year ahead, a leading industry figure has said, although he raised concerns about the impact of tax rises and the new deposit return scheme for drinks cans and bottles.
David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), said decisions in the Scottish Budget to freeze income tax thresholds and to increase rates for higher earners were “likely to take a bite out of consumer spending at a time when retail sales are set to remain sluggish”.
He went on to warn that likely rises in council tax payments, together with the introduction of the deposit return scheme in August, would also impact on disposable incomes.
