This plea comes amid challenging economic conditions and a looming £1 billion deficit in the devolved administration’s budget. The SRC advocates for reducing government expenses as a means to address the deficit, rather than resorting to tax increases.

With retailers facing difficult trading conditions and further significant statutory cost increases in the New Year, the SRC has reiterated its demand that action be taken to blunt a possible surge in non-domestic rates.

According to a report published last week by the Fraser of Allander Institute they calculated the headline business rate will escalate to 53.1p in the £ if the Finance Secretary opts to uprate it in line with September’s CPI (of 6.7%). This would pierce the 50p/50% threshold for the first time since the advent of devolution in 1999. Indeed, the headline business rate was just 40.7p in the £ at the start of the previous decade, in 2010-11, so a rise to 53.1p next Spring would be a 30% hike since 2010-11.

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “The Scottish Government faces a forecast £1 billion spending gap in the coming financial year which is projected to widen in subsequent years.

“Whilst businesses recognise there are few palatable options for our politicians most private enterprises are well versed in cutting their cloth in the face of weak revenues and spiralling costs, having dealt with a tsunami of hikes in commodity and supply chain prices over the past couple of years with various statutory burdens sprinkled on top. Regrettably the time has come for government to take the same pragmatic approach.”

Mr Lonsdale continued: “Retail sales have fallen in real terms for each of the past five months and the economic outlook is uncertain, yet it seems Scotland’s retailers may be staring down the barrel of a hefty £43 million hike in their business rates bills next Spring. The business rate is already at a 24-year high and a fifth higher than at the start of the previous decade.

“An uplift of this magnitude would be wholly at odds with the Scottish Government’s pledge to use business rates to ‘boost business’ and would undermine efforts at high street and town centre rejuvenation. We hope the Finance Secretary will blunt any uplift in the business rate and give Scotland’s ratepayers a meaningful competitive advantage over their competitors down south.”

He added: “The First Minister has taken several positive steps over the last six months to improve the relationship with Scotland’s business community. This Budget will give businesses the opportunity to assess exactly how deep that commitment will run.

“We hope the Scottish Government will take the pragmatic decisions needed to protect private sector jobs and commercial investment and prioritise economic growth.”