The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
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Under consideration PE2184: Provide BID levy relief to charities and non-profit organisations
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to:
• amend the relevant legislation so that charities and non-profits that qualify for mandatory or discretionary rates relief under Section 4(2)(a) of the Local Government (Financial Provisions etc.) (Scotland) Act 1962 are also exempt from paying the BID levy, or receive equivalent relief
• conduct a survey of businesses affected by BIDs, in order to assess the impact of the levy more widely, particularly on small businesses and third-sector organisations, and to implement any further legislative changes that may arise from such a review.
Background information
The primary aim of our petition is a change in national policy to bring the Business Improvement District (BID) levy in line with existing non-domestic rates relief legislation for charities and non-profit organisations.
This would ensure consistency in how charitable organisations are treated across different local taxation mechanisms.
Currently, while charities may receive up to 100% relief on non-domestic rates, they are still liable for the full BID levy in many areas, regardless of their charitable status or community benefit. This creates a financial burden that undermines the intent of the original rates relief legislation.
It would also be good to look at the health of BIDs more widely. For example, in our local Paisley ballot, out of 673 businesses, only 260 voted. Of these, 201 were in favour of the BID and 59 against. The ballot was legitimate, with over 25% of businesses voting. However, 413 businesses never took part and 59 said no, so the majority of businesses in the area were not necessarily in favour of the BID.
64 signatures
This petition is now under consideration
Click here for further information about the consideration of this petition.