Green Freeports
Businesses setting up in Scotland’s Green Freeports can benefit from a package of customs and tax incentives as well as major investment in infrastructure, skills and innovation.
These hubs for global trade and investment promote decarbonisation driving Scotland's net zero transition.
Scotland's Green Freeports
Forth Green Freeport
- Location: Firth of Forth
- Sector opportunities: green technologies, alternative fuels, renewable energy manufacturing, industrial biotechnology
- Highlights: tax incentives and customs incentives, major infrastructure upgrades, international trade and export opportunities
- Commercial spaces: space for large-scale advanced manufacturing, logistics and distribution, offshore wind assembly and manufacturing, R&D and innovation centres, office space
Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport
- Location: Scottish Highlands
- Sector opportunities: Renewable energy, offshore wind, floating wind, hydrogen, oil and gas decarbonisation and life sciences
- Highlights: tax and customs incentives, existing supply chain companies and specialised skills, first-class port infrastructure, major investment in skills and infrastructure upgrades, international trade and export opportunities
- Commercial spaces: high-value manufacturing, fabrication, assembly and O&M, port access and R&D centres
Why choose a Green Freeport?
Green Freeports are places where normal tax and customs rules don’t apply in full and where business can be carried out inside a country’s land border.
There are two types of sites where special rules can apply. These are ‘tax sites’ and ‘customs sites’. Companies can choose to locate themselves so that they can take advantage of the benefits offered by one or a combination of both of these site types.
Businesses setting up at a Green Freeport, can benefit from various tax incentives including:
- Land and Building Transaction Tax (LBTT) relief
- Enhanced Structures and Building Allowance (SBA): accelerated relief to reduce taxable profits of 10% of cost of investment every year for 10 years (compared to standard 3% per annum over 33 1/3 years)
- Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA): reduce taxable profits by full cost of qualifying investment in new plant/ machinery in same period as cost was incurred
- Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs): 0% employer NICs on salaries of any new employee working in a Green Freeport tax site
- Non Domestic Rates Relief (NDRR)
Want to find out more about the benefits of setting up in a Freeport?
Get in touch with our specialist team today to discuss what you're looking for.