By Jack Thomson

A SCOTSTOUN shop owner has warned rates could bankrupt him – just as they “floored” his dad’s business.

Yati Mayor, who runs Mayor’s Sports and Menswear on Dumbarton Road, claims his non-domestic rates have soared from £274 a month to £619 – a rise of almost 126 per cent.

The 56-year-old said his dad Yagdutt – the owner of Mayor’s cash and carry, which closed four months ago after 45 years – has been forced into early retirement because of a similar increase in rates.

Yati has since appealed his own hike and will learn his fate in June. However, the businessman is worried he could face a similar outcome to his dad.

He said: “The rates floored him, they totally floored him. He could still run the shop with some help, but the rates crucified him.

“That’s him retired now and that’s an iconic shop. He’s a loved man in the community.

“The new rates will bankrupt me. It’s a joke how they organise the whole system.

“As far as I’m concerned, the whole thing needs a revamp.”

Yati claims most businesses in Scotland don’t pay non-domestic rates, and has said a minority are “taking it on the shoulder for the rest of them”.

He continued: “I genuinely don’t mind paying rates because I do feel the council have to raise money.

“They’re doing it in totally the wrong way. They’re not being fair to hard working people who have invested their lives into serving the community.

“We should all be on a level playing field. I’m proposing everybody pays the same amount and we all contribute to the pot.”

While Glasgow City Council administers non-domestic rates, levels are set nationally by Scottish ministers and are determined by the rental value of each property.

The council also said assessors value the properties on genuinely achievable local rates.

Yati held an evening of live music and games on Wednesday, May 9, to raise awareness on the issue and almost 40 people turned up in support.

“That was an incredible success,” he said. “It was a reminder to people that we are still here, even if we are a struggling business.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “We are doing a huge amount to support retailers in Scotland including funding around £720 million in business rates relief this year, providing the most competitive rates relief in the UK.

“Valuations are undertaken by independent assessors and are part of an independent statutory legal process.

“A right of appeal exists for ratepayers who disagree with their valuations.”