Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2023
I think that the First Minister is embarrassed by that, because he knows full well that the UK Government is having to help Scotland.
The Scottish Government asking the UK Government to use its tax levers to support business really does take the biscuit. Last year and this year, the UK Government decided, on top of all the furlough and cost of living support that it provided during the pandemic, to give businesses 75 per cent rates relief, but—oh no—the Scottish Government refused to pass on those Barnett consequentials, with the exception, I think, being rates for those on the islands this year.
First, in line with the cabinet secretary’s own demands to the chancellor, why is she not supporting businesses more? That would be in line with some of the comments from her back benchers, too.
Secondly—again, with her back benchers in mind—does the cabinet secretary really think that, by increasing the tax burden and the income tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the UK, she is sending the right message that Scotland is open for business, for economic growth, for investment, for innovation and for job creation, because it is abundantly clear that those in business and industry, including Sir Tom Hunter, do not think that it is?
With regard to local government, which seems to be getting only half of what it asked for—perhaps even less than half—does the cabinet secretary not accept that the long-term cuts that the SNP has imposed on core local government funding over many years could have been reversed for the next financial years if it cancelled its controversial National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, with all its spiralling costs, and gave that money to front-line services that are more in line with the priorities of the people of Scotland?