Traders say they will be forced to close if plans for the first Business Improvement District in Perth and Kinross are given the go-ahead.
The Crieff BID team are aiming to invest about £730,000 over a five-year period into proposals they hope will reinvigorate the town.
The motion to make Crieff the first BID area in the region has become embroiled in controversy, however, mirroring similar concerns The Courier reported about Dundee city centre BID plans earlier this year.
Disgruntled Crieff traders say a mandatory levy and vague plans for exactly how the cash will be spent could actually have a negative impact on their businesses.
Ian Garbutt, who has run clothes shop Clandragon on West High Street for eight years, claims he will shut his business if the BID proposal achieves a yes vote.
He said: “I’m not convinced by this at all. I view this as a kind of part-privatisation of the High Street and the literature that they have given out is full of corporate jargon speak that doesn’t actually tell you very much.
“A big sticking point is the mandatory levy that they are going to put on us and a threat of action if we don’t pay it.
“I am not prepared to tolerate that at all.”
“I will close the shop in Crieff after eight glorious years. I will not be subject to a mandatory levy for something like that.”
The levy is based on the rateable valuation of the property of the business.
The initial outline for Crieff as a BID proposes additional investment in areas such as improving the visual appearance of the town and increasing spending through a coordinated marketing plan.
Mr Garbutt added: “A lot of the ideas that they talked about, like making the streets cleaner and safer, I feel already falls under the remit of existing organisations such as the local authority, the police, the tourist board or the federation of small businesses. It is being thrust upon us. I will vote no in the ballot and if its goes through will close down the shop.”
John Henderson, who runs Image on Glass at North Ardbennie, Madderty, claims he will consider moving his business out of the town if BIDs gets the go-ahead.
He said: “BIDs is all geared up for tourism and tourism does absolutely nothing for my business. It is no help to me whatsoever
“I’m looking at a new factory and ideally we would love a new factory in Crieff. But my rateable value is going to go up dramatically and they’ll be expecting me to pay more so this could actually have me thinking about moving out of Crieff.
“I’m in favour of improving Crieff but I don’t see that this is the answer.”
Alice Penney, who runs Adam Boyd Newsagents on King Street, said she had serious concerns about the viability of the BID plan but had yet to make up her mind.
She said: “We remain to be convinced about it all.
“As a small business the levy is another bill to pay. An awful lot of money is going to go on marketing and we feel that it needs spent on aspects of more substance within the town.
“It’s all very well marketing to bring people in but we need something here for them when they do come. We have not made our minds up yet and there are more discussions to come.”
Robert Newman, who runs the Nutcracker Christmas Shop on Muthill Road, admits his previous experience with a BID plan had left him wary of joining another one.
He said: “I pay a BID for my shop in Stratford-upon-Avon and I don’t see that the BID has done that much for me there. I don’t feel that I see a benefit from the extra rates I end up paying.
“I don’t see if it can help a small town like Crieff if I’m being honest. I don’t know what Crieff can come up with to draw people in to it. However, right now I want to say yes as I want to give them a chance.”
Crieff Succeeds is aiming for a ballot in June.
There must be at least a 25% turnout at the ballot of all businesses registered in the BID area. Of them, 50% must vote yes to the BID Business Plan for it to pass.