The owner of a yoga centre in Aberdeen fears she could face bankruptcy if she does not receive any relief for her “ridiculously high” business rates.
Michele Ross, who runs the Yoga Spot on Queen’s Lane North, says her £1,500 a month business rates bill could force her to shut down.
Ms Ross had moved her yoga company – which is also home to five other self-employed teachers – from Ruthrie Terrace in Garthdee to the smaller building in the west end in August last year in an effort to take advantage of business rates relief, which she had believed she would have been eligible for.
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However, in November she received a letter telling her that she was in fact ineligible, and was told to cough up the cash, backlogged to when she first moved in.
Ms Ross is due to have a meeting with the rates assessor tomorrow in a last-ditch effort to try and receive relief, but said she is not hopeful for a solution.
She said: “Along with everyone else, my rates went up in 2017 and I had to move because of that last August.
“It’s now at the point where I just can’t afford it, or pay the rates to stay here.
“It’s just so ridiculously high that I cannot possibly pay it, it’s as simple as that.
“The assessor is coming for a site visit tomorrow, so we’ll find out after that. If I don’t get any relief, I will have to shut down, I’m afraid.
“I can’t even guess what the outcome will be. If I can’t find a solution, the worst place scenario is I’ll go bankrupt. I’ve been given a backlogged bill for rates I can’t pay, it’s as simple as that.
“I’ve been operating for almost eight years, that’s eight years of building up the business, building relationships – and people come here as a haven, a place for meditation and yoga, and this certainly doesn’t help to create a relaxing atmosphere.”