TODAY’S issue of your newspaper carries two adjacent items expressing
concerns about Scotland’s countryside and town centres (“We need to invest
and innovate if we want to revive our city centres”, Agenda, The Herald,
April 21) and David Bridge’s letter on the proposed Kintyre wind farm.
Both problems are the result of Government policy.
Wind farms in Scotland benefit from large subsidies as part of the Scottish
Government’s policy of 100% renewables by 2020. The electricity they
produce costs more than twice the market price. We pay the difference in
higher tax or fuel bills.
The official policy of the Scottish Government is “town centres first”.
However, any out-of-town development does not pay VAT, whereas city centre
redevelopment does. Is it any surprise that our city centres are suffering
when it pays to build and invest outside the town?
Alex Salmond’s Government paid Amazon £9m to move to Dunfermline. While
Amazon provides an excellent online service, it pays little or no UK taxes.
Our high street shops have to compete with Amazon but must pay their way
and suffer as a result.
The Scottish countryside and town centres are being destroyed by misguided
Government policies.
John Black,
6 Woodhollow House, Helensburgh.
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