Billing Pause For Business Rate Payers In Highland

1st April 2020

Around 19,000 business rate payers in Highland will not receive their annual rates bill this April.

The Highland Council recognises the exceptional economic challenges for local business and has therefore decided to pause business rates bills in respect of financial year 2020/21.

The decision to pause will be kept under regular review and is intended to help mitigate the impacts of coronavirus on local businesses and the local economy.

Supporting businesses in this way means that the business community does not have to worry about paying their rates bills for the time being.

This billing pause, together with the package of support available, is intended to provide businesses with sufficient confidence to retain their workforce and to focus on future trading as Government restrictions are kept under regular review.

More information relating to the package of available rates relief and business grants is published on the Council's website at: https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/2/business_rates/404/business_rates/8

The Council's Budget Leader, Councillor Alister Mackinnon said:"These are exceptional times, requiring exceptional measures. The decision to pause business rates bills has been taken to ensure that local businesses and local jobs are protected while acknowledging the tremendous and selfless offers of support from local businesses for those impacted by coronavirus.

"We will continue to follow national guidance to deliver for businesses and our communities as best we can in these unprecedented times."

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

26/6/2026 : Local Authority

The Highland Council agree next steps for Visitor Levy scheme

The Highland Council has agreed to continue working with the tourism industry to co-design a draft Visitor Levy scheme for the Highlands.   It follows the Council securing greater flexibility from The Scottish Government on how a Visitor Levy could be applied and administered, after feedback from accommodation providers and industry groups across the Highlands about a percentage-based charge.  

26/6/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Wealth Fund to create lasting legacy from renewable energy development

The Highland Council has agreed plans to establish a Highland Wealth Fund to create a lasting legacy from renewable energy development and support long-term benefits for communities across the region.   Inspired by the principles of the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, the new partnership-led fund will support strategic, regional, area and local priority projects, helping to ensure that the opportunities created by the energy transition deliver lasting value for current and future generations.  

25/6/2026 : Local Authority

Apply For Education Maintenance Allowance If you are 16 to 19 years old

If you are 16 to 19 years old, at school or college, and come from a low-income household you may be able to get financial help from an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).   EMA is a weekly allowance of £30 per week, paid during term time.  

22/6/2026 : Local Authority

 
Highland Council launches new platform to improve online engagement

The Highland Council has today (Monday 22 June) launched a new online engagement platform which will transform how residents, communities and visitors engage with consultations.   The easy-to-use platform allows anyone to quickly see what projects and proposals are open for consultation and engagement.  

22/6/2026 : Local Authority

A Tale of Two Schools - Is Thurso Next? As Moray Council Shelves £100million school plan for Buckie

When Moray Council officially shelved plans for a new Buckie High School, it sent a shockwave through communities across the north of Scotland.  The message was clear: in the current economic climate, even the most desperate promises of new school builds can vanish overnight when balanced against a massive budget deficit.  

19/6/2026 : Local Authority

 
Highland creatives help shape UK City of Culture 2029 bid

Cultural artists and creators from across the Highlands have gathered at Strathpeffer Pavilion to share their ideas and ambitions for the Inverness-Highland bid for UK City of Culture 2029.   The bid, which is being taken forward under the name Beò 2029 the Gaelic word for living brought together around 80 creative practitioners from across the region for a cultural conversation exploring what culture means in the Highlands, what stories the region wants to tell, and the legacy for the future.  

18/6/2026 : Local Authority

 
Great Glen Way route improvements now open

A new improved section of the Great Glen Way is now open, offering walkers, wheelers and visitors a safer and more scenic way to experience this popular trail.   The Highland Council has completed work on over 3km of the route, moving it away from the public road and onto a new off‑road path.  

14/6/2026 : Local Authority

How Caithness Can Strengthen Its Case for Major Capital Investment in an Era of Shrinking Budgets

Caithness has reached a moment where the old assumptions about public investment no longer hold.  For decades, the region could rely on a three‑pillar system: HIE to drive economic development, Scottish Enterprise and national programmes to support growth, and Highland Council to deliver the infrastructure that underpins daily life.  

14/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

When the Money Moves South: How HIE’s Shrinking Budget Has Hit Caithness and Why “Record Funding” Doesn’t Mean What It Used To

For decades, Highlands and Islands Enterprise was the economic backbone of the far north.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was one of the few institutions that understood the basic truth of life in Caithness: distance costs money, and if the state doesn’t step in, the market won’t.  

11/6/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Council's £20 Million Transformation Gamble – What Happens if the Savings Never Arrive?

For most people, council committee papers and audit reports are not the sort of documents that attract much attention.  They are full of technical language, financial terminology and governance structures that can make even the most determined reader give up after a few pages.