CBI Scotland has called on John Swinney to work “tirelessly” with businesses to make growing the economy the “defining priority” of his Government, warning that the First Minister is in a “race against time” amid a near £5 billion budget black hole facing the country by the end of the decade.
The business group said the SNP leader must work with other parties and with firms to go “full throttle” on growth, and has published a five-point plan to “fire up” Scotland’s economy and put it “firmly back on a path to prosperity”. The plan includes reforming the “broken” business rates system, which it warns penalises investment and growth, and overhauling the “cumbersome” planning system that has become “one of the biggest brakes on economic growth”.
CBI Scotland also called for the tax and regulatory gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK to be closed to make Scotland a more attractive place for talent and investment, and for commitment to “transformative infrastructure” projects such as the Clyde Metro and full rail electrification. It further urged a national skills strategy and reform of the apprenticeships levy to better suit future demand.
Michelle Ferguson, CBI Scotland director, said: “Our message to the new Scottish Government, and to new and returning MSPs, is a simple one: against a backdrop of rising costs and global volatility, growth really is the ‘only game in town’ – so it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get on with it. We can’t afford to sit on our hands, or we risk a worsening fiscal position and the potential for great commercial opportunities to slip through our fingers.”
First Minister John Swinney said: “I am delighted to attend the CBI event today – my first formal engagement since being sworn in as First Minister – to outline that achieving higher levels of sustainable economic growth is foundational for my Government. The Government I lead will use all the levers at our disposal to ensure Scotland has the resources, ambition and people to succeed.”
