RISING business rates threaten to drive a Scotstoun shop under after 20 years, the owner has warned.

Yati Mayor, who runs Mayor’s Sports and Menswear on Dumbarton Road, said he is one of many local firms suffering a dramatic rise after the first round of new valuations since 2010.

The 55-year-old businessman said his non-domestic rates are jumping from £274 a month to £602 and the rise would put him out of business.

And Mr Mayor said he actually had to move out of his home and is staying with a friend because of the rising overheads.

Mr Mayor said the rateable value of his business went from £11,200 to £17,200, an increase of more than 50 per cent compared to his bill which has gone up 120 per cent.

He is appealing the rates hike but must pay the new fees while that appeal is being considered.

Mr Mayor said: “I expect to be out of business by the end of the year. This is too much to cope with.

“Small business are meant to be helped but no government has actually helped individuals like me.

“Most of our clients can’t afford to have us make high mark-ups. We are a community-led business. There’s only so much I can charge here.”

Rates are based on a business’s net annual value – an assessment of a reasonable market rent – with the new rates effect from April.

Concerns have been raised nationally about the “blizzard” of appeals to local authorities which could back up hearings into 2018.

Mr Mayor added: “I have a mortgage on top of that every month. It’s affecting all the shops here. Some people are going up to three or four times that. There are a few exceptions to that, getting 100 per cent discounts.

“It’s totally unfair and I feel Glasgow City Council has it totally wrong.”

Glasgow City Council, which administers the nationally-set rates which are determined by independent local assessors, said the rate poundage determining the size of a bill and affordability is a national matter.

Because the Scottish Government delayed the revaluation by two years until 2017, the new values are nearly a decade old, said a spokesman.

He added appeals can be made until September 30, 2017 and the disposal of them would likely start in 2018.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “I recently expressed the opinion that the business rates system is a broken tax, which discourages investment. I’d continue to advise all businesses to look closely at their revaluations and consider appealing if they feel rates have climbed significantly.

“There is still a bit of uncertainty as to how long this process will take and we are aware the business community is asking questions about reimbursement in the interim period. Local councils need to clarify these issues as many companies are facing large hikes.”