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| - A potential £1 million ($1.3 million, 1.1 million-euro) bailout to US President Donald Trump for his two Scottish golf resorts was criticised Wednesday for increasing the burden on the UK taxpayer. Two Scottish golf resorts owned by the Trump Organization are expected to receive the tax rebate as part of a government scheme for coronavirus-hit tourism businesses, a local council confirmed. The courses in Aberdeenshire, northeast Scotland, and Turnberry, in the country's southwest, will benefit from emergency funding from the Scottish government, which includes waiving the property taxes paid by hospitality, leisure and retail businesses this year, The Guardian reported. South Ayrshire council confirmed to AFP that it was looking at awarding "relief to all eligible businesses, which will include Trump Turnberry". The move though was criticised by Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford, who described Trump as a "truly appalling person". "The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 will impact on the UK's public finances for decades to come and will cause great financial difficulties for huge numbers of individuals, families and businesses," Ford told AFP in an email. "Many are concerned their money will run out. That is not going to happen to Mr Trump who will remain very wealthy whatever happens. "Yet the burden on the UK taxpayer will be increased because Mr Trump's business is getting helped. Almost no-one, except Mr Trump, is going to think that is right." Ford said he understood the difficult position the Scottish Government was in on the matter. "You cannot draw up an aid scheme so as to exclude a business because, as in this case, the owner is a truly appalling person," he said. Before the coronavirus crisis, the Turnberry resort had been due to pay £850,766 in property tax this year and Trump Aberdeenshire £121,170, according to The Guardian. Sarah Malone, the vice president for Trump International Scotland, confirmed that the business had used coronavirus emergency funding schemes. The Scottish government warned on Tuesday of "deep cuts" to public services unless it gets extra borrowing powers to help it deal with the impact of the coronavirus. The devolved administration in Edinburgh is allowed to undertake capital borrowing of up to £3 billion ($3.8 billion, 3.3 billion euros), and resource borrowing of £1.75 billion. The finance ministry in London has so far provided some £4 billion for Scotland during the pandemic. Trump, whose mother was from the Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland, bought the 1,400 acres (567 hectares) of land in the northeast of the country in 2006, pledging to build "the world's best golf course". He opened the links on land near Aberdeen in 2012 after promising to create 6,000 jobs and invest £1 billion. In October last year Trump International Golf Club Scotland reported a loss of £1.07 million for 2018 after a £1.25 million loss in 2017. The two courses employed around 650 temporary and permanent staff in 2018. srg/dmh/har
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