Meeting of the Parliament 25 April 2017
The Scottish Government has been clear. We support that position, and we have looked at the evidence. I have been asked to expand on the independent evidence and I have said to the committee that I am willing to do that.
The plans are a key part of the Scottish Government’s economic strategy, in particular in boosting trade, investment, influence and networks, which are especially important given the economic threat posed by Brexit. Scotland’s airports are competing on the world stage to secure new routes and capacity. Reducing the tax burden helps to ensure that there is a more level playing field with the many other European airports that are competing to secure the same airlines and similar routes. New routes will enhance business connectivity and tourism.
Today, we are proposing the foundations of the tax. I will return to tax rates and bands in due course, as is the case with other devolved taxes.
As is also the case with other devolved taxes, the Scottish Government has taken and will continue to take a consultative and collaborative approach to engaging stakeholders on how ADT should be structured and operated. We published a policy consultation last year that generated a range of views. Since then, we have worked carefully to refine our legislative proposals, reflecting on the responses that we received. In addition, in August 2015 we established a stakeholder forum, which I chair, to provide input into the development of our policy on and legislative proposals for ADT.
Revenue Scotland is also taking a collaborative approach to stakeholder engagement and is actively working with aircraft operators and others on matters relating to the collection and management of ADT, such as information and communications technology and guidance.
The Scottish Government has also listened to the responses that the Finance and Constitution Committee received during its consideration of the bill at stage 1, and I thank that committee and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee for their detailed scrutiny of the bill and for the conclusions and recommendations in their stage 1 reports.
The Scottish Government welcomes the Finance and Constitution Committee’s support for the general principles of the bill. Last Friday, I responded to all the issues raised in the recommendations in the committee’s report. I will highlight some of the key aspects of that response. The Scottish Government agrees with the committee and stakeholders that it is important that our plans for ADT are supported by robust evidence and that the impacts are monitored over time. The Scottish Government has therefore commenced the commissioning of an independent economic assessment of the Government’s plans for a 50 per cent reduction in the overall ADT burden by the end of the current parliamentary session.