Tesco Sets an Example by Repaying £60 Million in Business Rates
- Submitted by: Kenneth Gibson, Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party.
- Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
- Motion reference: S5M-23575
That the Parliament welcomes the decision by the supermarket retailer, Tesco plc, to repay in full the £585 million in business rates relief that it was granted across the UK to help it weather the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that Tesco found itself able to do so after seeing strong sales and profit growth, having paid £315 million in dividends to its shareholders during the pandemic; is delighted at the difference the estimated £60 million that it anticipates the Scottish Government will have in additional expenditure will make if invested in assisting those businesses whose recovery from COVID-19 continues to be the hardest, and urges other large supermarkets and retailers that can afford to do so to follow Tesco’s example in the public interest.
Supported by:
Neil Bibby, Willie Coffey, Annabelle Ewing, Christine Grahame, Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Fulton MacGregor, Rona Mackay, Ruth Maguire, Gillian Martin, John Mason, Joan McAlpine, Mark McDonald, Stuart McMillan, Gil Paterson, Alex Rowley, David Torrance, Sandra White