Russell Imrie 🇪🇺

When travelling into Edinburgh from @EDI_Airport use @Uber and not the taxi rank. Capital Cars is at least 50% more expensive than Uber. #travel #TravelTips #Edinburgh #edinburghairport

Warth in Austria. VAT on accommodation was 10% and Visitor Tax was €3.00 pppn. VAT on accommodation in UK is 20% and City of Edinburgh is charging 5%+VAT (so 6%) Visitor Tax from July 26. Edinburgh at risk of being an uncompetitive destination. #Edinburgh #Tourism

The way forward for the UK is an Economic Union and a Defence Union with Europe. The old order is over and a United Europe is the way forward for the economic and defence security of the UK, and all Europe. Anyone who does not see this is ignoring events. #EuropeanUnion

Reduced employment, lower wage increases (if any), factories not at capacity and fragility and failures in the hospitality sector. The result of the increase in Employers NI contributions.

Observations in Japan: spotlessly clean, continuous cleaning, polite, no graffiti, no litter, free clean WCs everywhere, everybody obeys the rules (e.g. waiting at crossings), no tipping, helpful staff (trains, hotels, shops, restaurants), no potholes. UK?

Japan is a welcoming country for tourists. Three factors which make the visitor welcomed? It is surprisingly affordable. There is no tipping. Tourist taxes are generally not charged, and where they are, it is around £2.50 per room. European destinations have tough competition.

Taxing tourism: why the challenges can outweigh the benefits. Edinburgh and other Scotland local authorities should take note. hospitalityinvestor.com/amer…

Energy price cap up again. Govt claims that UK needs to move to a non-carbon energy strategy to avoid the reliance & volatility of global oil & gas prices. Solar, wind & nuclear generates electricity. Over 90% of UK homes & businesses are heated by gas for many years to come.

A reduction in jobs was an inevitable result of the Employers National Insurance rise. Why could government not anticipate that this would be the outcome of increasing tax on employing people?

Companies planning redundancies, not recruiting & cancelling investment, business failures up, many SMEs in a fragile state. As a result, consumer confidence is at record low. This is the result of budget decision of increased Employers’ NI & above inflation increase in min wage.

👇👇We did not have long to wait. Today the Bank of England has confirmed that the recent budget has resulted in businesses stopping employment and raising prices which has created higher inflation, reduced growth and stalled the economy.

👇👇Government has made its choices, and the result will be higher prices, higher inflation, lower employment, lower growth and lower corporation tax receipts. Inevitably some will say this will not happen. Just wait.

Did the government honestly believe that increasing Employers NI would have no impact on businesses recruiting extra staff, no impact on decisions to expand, and no impact on growth? Really hard to believe that they thought that, but then again perhaps not. @RachelReevesMP

RIP Ken McCulloch, a visionary Scottish hotelier who was a pioneer of the boutique hotel concept in UK, the person behind One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow, Malmaison Hotels, Dakota Hotels, and the creator of innovative wine bars, restaurants and hotels.

But probably not in Scotland? Scottish hospitality businesses do not even receive the current 40% rates discount. Permanent cut in business rates for hospitality from 2026 thecaterer.com/news/permanen…

View on £1m limit for passing farms to next generation on death. A few tractors, a combine harvester, a uni loader, trailers, a muck spreader and a bailer will value at £1m before the farm land and buildings value is taken into account. This is dire for farmers. @JamesMelville

All over the UK, small company boards are arranging meetings to discuss the financial implications of this ideological malicious budget. The results are clear: reduced recruitment, reduced pay increases, increased prices, and unit closures. This is the impact on the “worker”.