I’m very fond of the western isles. I was not referencing a time before the SNP’s existence I was talking about, what I think was the land reform act? Was it not proposed by the SNP that there would be an acerage cap on the maximum amount and individual could own? And that a group could get together to foracbly purchase land from a landowner even if they were unwilling to sell?
https://www.snp.org/policies/pb-what-are-the-snp-plans-for-land-reform/
In place now…..
Measures already taken forward under the Land Reform Act 2016, include:
a) ending the business rates exemption for shooting and deerstalking;
b) undertaking a consultation on ending the practice of anonymous ownership of major tracts of Scotland’s land;
c) undertaking a consultation on a world-leading Land Rights and Responsibilities statement setting out our long term vision for the ownership, management and use of land; and
d) establishing a Scottish Land Commission based in Inverness to provide direction and leadership on land reform.
It seems quite fair and sensible to me.
How would b) be implemented? Would they enforce Land Registry registration? In England, if land didn’t change hands since c. 1970 then it is not in the LR.
There are however various ways to trace who owns it – see this and this – and this is in addition to the obvious method of walking into a pub and asking a farmer 
I did this many years ago when my then wife wanted a field for horses.
Peter wrote:
Interesting piece of history…
Without getting all hot and heavy the history that surrounds the way the Scots (people) have been treated through the centuries is not only interesting but fascinating.
And the blame goes all ways. The way we have been treated by Clan leaders, Scottish and English royalty, parliaments, the church, and its own masters. Brutal, barbaric and as always the innocent suffer. Also we Scots have done our fair share of barbarism within the slave trade, human trafficking and general bad throughout the world. That is not only an English domain.
The old maxim – The victor writes history…
The contrast in living standards, life expectancy, education, fiscal and commercial balance, between Scotland and Denmark might provoke the question if it is not down to governance, what is it down to? Note the Danes didn’t get any North Sea oil, which makes the contrast even more pronounced.
BeechBaby wrote:
a) ending the business rates exemption for shooting and deerstalking;
how would you propose to quantify business rates for such activities? Particularly given they are tremendously beneficial for the environment and wildlife.
As I understand it in England far more deer are shot by the forestry commission than sporting shooters. I would make the assumption similar is true for scotland. Do you think then that woodland should attract business rates?
I dont know about Scotland but in England business rates are set as high as is absolutely just about possible without totally killing the retail and light industrial landscape in any given town or city.
Accordingly, most retail-facing businesses that existed say 30+ years ago have gone bust, the small special-interest shops have long gone, and the average retail scene (what in the UK is called “High Street”) is basically the same national shop chains selling tons of chinese made stuff, and most of it is crap which creates no UK manufacturing jobs, negligible distribution jobs, and the jobs created in the shops are filled mostly with thick uneducated and disinterested young people on the national minimum wage.
Hence I view proposals for additional business rates with suspicion. It looks more like politics of envy, with “shooting and deerstalking” being traditional English landed gentry hobbies
I think your analysis of high street business rates is spot on. In my experience is it not uncommon to see business rates exceed the rental rate of property. Then you have the high street fill up with charity shops as they don’t have to pay business rates.
I was of the understanding that business rates applied to non domestic property (buildings). It must be different over the border.
They can apply to land which produces income. This I recall caught Bembridge airport. It also shafted Biggin Hill some years ago.
If you breed deer in your back garden and you let people come in and shoot them, for a fee, that use of the land would normally attract business rates. Usually, that kills the business proposition dead…
On most GA airfield hangars, the business rates are comparable to the rent.
Provided your back garden was big enough that sounds like deer farming, and farming is business rate exempt.
If an entire airfield gets hit for business rates by the square meter that becomes pretty onerous.
