New Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) nil rate band
15 July 2020
The ‘Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Tax Rates and Tax Bands)(Scotland) Amendment (No.2) (Coronavirus) Order 2020’ has now been approved by the Scottish Parliament and came into effect on 15 July 2020. As a result, there will be a temporary increase in the nil rate band for LBTT residential property transactions from £145,000 to £250,000.
The change will be introduced with effect from Wednesday 15 July 2020 and remain in place until 31 March 2021.
LBTT: temporary increase in nil rate band
10 July 2020
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announced today (10 July) that a temporary increase in the nil rate band for LBTT residential property transactions from £145,000 to £250,000 will be introduced with effect from next Wednesday (15 July) and remain in place until 31 March 2021.
The revised rates and bands will only apply to transactions with an effective date on or after 15 July 2020.
Rates for the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) and non-residential LBTT remain unchanged.
LBTT: temporary increase in nil rate band
9 July 2020
The Scottish Government today announced that the nil rate band for Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) for residential property transactions will be temporarily increased from £145,000 to £250,000.
The change will be introduced as soon as possible - time is required for Scottish Government to prepare legislation and Revenue Scotland to enable the policy change. Once introduced, the change will remain in place until 31 March 2021.
Rates for the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) and non-residential LBTT remain unchanged.
Revenue Scotland updates guidance to reflect Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020
27 May 2020
Guidance updated to reflect Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020
Revenue Scotland has updated its guidance to reflect the changes resulting from the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act 2020 which received Royal Assent on 26 May 2020.
The changes included in Schedule 4, Part 4 of the Act take effect from today (27 May 2020).
Revenue Scotland Publishes Monthly LBTT Statistics with New Covid-19 Data
Thursday 21 May 2020
New Scottish Landfill Tax Rates 2020/21
2 April 2020
The Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2020 has now been approved by the Scottish Parliament and came into effect on 1 April 2020. As a result, taxable disposals made or treated as made on or after 1 April 2020 will be subject to the following rates of SLfT:
Scottish Landfill Tax
SLfT is a tax on the disposal of waste to landfill and is charged by weight on the basis of two rates: a standard rate for active materials; and a lower rate for less polluting (referred to as ‘inert’) materials.
Operators of landfill sites in Scotland are liable for SLfT, and this cost is passed on to the local authorities and businesses who dispose of waste at the landfill sites.
Revenue Scotland administers SLfT with support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
SLfT rates
From 1 April 2020, the standard rate of SLfT has increased from £91.35 to £94.15 per tonne and the lower rate from £2.90 to £3.00 per tonne. The increase was announced in the Scottish Parliament in February 2020 as part of the Scottish Budget 2020-21. It will mean that rates and bands remain the same as those in place in the rest of the UK.
Revenue Scotland Amends Interest Rates in Line with Bank of England Rate
25 March 2020
On 19 March 2020, the Bank of England announced a 0.15% decrease in the base interest rate (now 0.10%). Revenue Scotland has amended its rates accordingly and these will take effect from Wednesday, 25 March 2020.
COVID-19
17 March 2020
Revenue Scotland continues to closely monitor the developing COVID-19 situation. At present our operating hours remain as normal.
Further updates regarding any changes to this will be provided through the Revenue Scotland website and Twitter.
About us
Revenue Scotland is Scotland's devolved tax authority. Established in 2015, we've evolved from a fledgeling organisation to an established and respected tax authority with a reputation for effective and efficient tax administration.
Our role and governance
As a non-ministerial office, we are accountable to the Scottish Parliament, ensuring proper oversight while maintaining the confidence of taxpayers. Our board is appointed by the Scottish Ministers, while our senior leadership team is responsible for our daily operations.
We are an efficient organisation and consistently operate at less than 1% of the revenue we collect, meeting the OECD benchmark for efficient tax administration.