Chamber and committees

I thank all the guests. We are almost 20 minutes over time, so I will not ask any further questions, you will be glad to know. Thank you all for your contributions. I thank John Dickie for coming here in person, and I particularly thank Age Scotland for its policy on concessionary travel, given that I will qualify as of tomorrow.

I know. Who would believe it?

Anyway, thank you very much, everyone. I will now call a halt until 20 past 11 for a change of witnesses and a natural break.

The next question is also for you, but I will ask it of Kevin Robertson as well. The question is based on the STUC’s written submission, which stated that it does not agree with freezing income tax for the duration of this session of the Scottish Parliament. Obviously, Governments might or might not keep such promises. Do you think that that policy should be stuck with throughout this session or that it should be reconsidered?

A sneaky way in which Governments can allow income tax to go up is by just not changing the bands, whereby fiscal drag allows inflation to bring more people into higher bands. What is the Scottish Property Federation’s view on whether income tax should be frozen for five years?

You said in your written submission:

“Our members are clear that tenants who can pay rent should do so, and those tenants who need support should be helped where a property owner has the means to do so.”

Can you expand on what you mean by that and on how support could be provided?

The Parliament will spend some time deliberating that in the months ahead. Further on in your submission, you state:

“Planning and tax incentives to encourage mixed-use developments could support regeneration and help realise the ambition of 20-minute neighbourhoods.”

What planning and tax incentives did you have in mind there? Does Joanne Walker have any ideas in that area?

We will want to explore that in further depth.

Joanne, would you like to reply to the question on tax incentives to encourage mixed-use development?

As we have heard and discussed, the high street is under pressure and there has been a 50 per cent increase in online sales. If the UK Government decided to tax online retailers to try to create a balance in the high street, would you support that? If so, should some of the revenues that would be raised be assigned to the Scottish Parliament?

I was not sure about that, but I thought that I would give you the opportunity, anyway.

We have come to the end of our time. I thank our guests for their evidence, and particularly Kevin Robertson for coming in today.

We will have a two-minute break to allow our witnesses to depart, and then we will continue with the rest of the meeting.

It is compulsory sales orders. Basically, they are for the sort of situation where someone has owned a derelict building for 20 years—perhaps an old primary school, a pub or a house or whatever—and planning permission has long since passed away with nothing being done. Under compulsory sales orders, in effect, if nothing was done within three years to refurbish a building, the owner could be forced to sell it at auction. We explored the idea at the Local Government and Communities Committee in the previous session and there was cross-party support for it. Has the Scottish Property Federation considered that measure, which might help high streets and make them more attractive? I also ask Joanne Walker whether she has any comments on that.