As many businesses prepare to be attacked by their local council in terms of the business rates, they are likely to be hit by a double whammy with the budget, but what can businesses expect in terms of support, if any.

Vincent Page of Antiques on High writes for the Herald​.

Business rates have always been a bone of contention with many who feel that it should be phased out and incorporated in other taxes which would ultimately leave one less thing to worry about but love it or hate it they are not likely to go anywhere anytime soon, and we just have to grin and bear it. There is little point in moaning about something and not doing anything about it because realistically without the help of many others you can’t, all you end up doing is wasting energy on something that is beyond your control, surely your energy would be far better employed dealing with other aspects of your business that you can control.

In a world where we seem to be spending more on electricity than we do our monthly mortgage payments, believe it or not the warmer weather is now starting to move in and we can be re-assured that those bills will start to reduce somewhat, and shorts and tee shirts will arrive hard though it may seem. There are several businesses that sadly are up for sale in the high street and some that don’t appear to have been there very long and if you are looking to branch out and buy a business ensure you have all the funds in place to do so as going into any business underfunded can leave you chasing your tail for a long time. The odd, unexpected bill is par for the course but if you have too many of them it can be a struggle and relying on the bank of mum and dad is not always a good option as the last thing you want to do is cause family frictions that can simmer for a very long time.