During May-July 2023, the average selling price of property across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders held steady in comparison to the same time last year. A marginal increase of 0.4% took the average to £287,820, showing that the property market overall has retained composure durin
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Newly released figures have revealed that the UK government's decision to freeze the inheritance tax threshold could affect almost four times more families than initially expected. The forecast by the HMRC suggests that 49,400 estates will face inheritance tax by 2028, significantly higher than the
Joint administrators Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden from Interpath Advisory have taken over the reins of Le Chardon d’Or Limited, a Glasgow fine dining establishment, after it ceased trading last week. The company's restaurant, Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or on West Regent Street, is kn
Andy Drane looks at the emerging trend of large corporations partnering with landowners to finance carbon offset projects as part of their efforts to reach net zero emissions, and discusses the opportunities, risks, and considerations involved for the landowners. Most landowners will fully recognise
Occupier demand in the commercial property market in Scotland fell flat through Q2 2023, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Commercial Property Monitor but surveyors appear more optimistic about the market in the three months ahead. A net balance of 2% of respon
Scottish business insolvencies have increased by 19.7% to 292, compared with the first quarter of 2022-23, according to the latest figures released by Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB).
Glasgow-headquartered Smart Metering Systems (SMS) has reported robust growth in the first half of 2023, with its index-linked recurring revenues (ILARR) growing 13.3% to £110 million from £97.1m. The firm's smart meter portfolio, which includes meter assets, energy data, grid-scale batt
Advice Direct Scotland has revealed a significant rise in online investment scams this year, resulting in Scottish residents losing at least £120,000 to cyber criminals. The spike in fraudulent activity has largely been attributed to the misuse of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twit
Energy firm Drax Group has received approval from the Scottish Government to construct a new £500 million underground pumped storage hydro plant at its existing Cruachan facility in Argyll. The decision, made through the Section 36 process, represents a significant step in Scotland's journey t
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has signed a multi-year extension to its partnership with the Loch Lomond Group.
The British Business Bank is working with Mint Ventures – Scotland’s women-led angel investment syndicate – to improve access to finance for female business owners and to grow the pool of women angel investors. With support from the Bank, Mint Ventures is raising awareness of the o
Proposals to allow HMRC to test new policies or processes on small groups of taxpayers before rolling out changes to the wider public will not address the real problems around the implementation of new policies or digital services, the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) has warned.
Financial services firm Armstrong Watson has welcomed industry veteran Brian Rudkin to helm its employment tax services. Joining from Johnston Carmichael, where he was director and head of employer services, Mr Rudkin has over 30 years' experience in the areas of employment taxes, staff reward
The Cumberland Building Society has invested more than £45 million into Scotland’s tourism sector in the last two years. Scotland’s tourism sector has faced increasing adversity in the last few years. The pandemic saw tourism nationwide face significant pressures and the recovery f
The UK's inflation rate witnessed a greater-than-expected drop to 7.9% in June, a 13-month low, due to a decrease in petrol prices, as reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This figure represents a noteworthy decline from May's 8.7% inflation rate, the weakest since the onset of the
