Wheelhouse Details Small Business Opportunities With Yes Vote Ahead of a presentation to Hawick Rotary Club, Paul Wheelhouse MSP (SNP, South Scotland) has explained why a Yes vote in the referendum will deliver new opportunities for small business and job creation in the south of Scotland. After Alistair Darling recently failed to set out what job creating powers would be devolved in the event of a No vote, Paul highlights key gains for business from a Yes vote - including additional support for manufacturing and the opportunity to benefit from public contracts. With a Yes vote Small and medium sized business in Scotland will benefit from: - An economic policy with a focus on Scotland’s SMEs and increased support for manufacturing. - Even more procurement opportunities through Scottish Government spending and contracts. - The creation of an efficient tax environment, reducing compliance burdens for SMEs. - Improved connections for rural Scotland – including broadband, mobile and a Scottish postal service, in public hands, tailored to Scotland’s needs. - A Team Scotland approach to promoting goods and services will boost our exports - we will have 70-90 overseas embassies dedicated to boosting Scottish trade. Speaking ahead of his presentation to Hawick Rotary Club on 11th September, Paul said: “A Yes vote is a real opportunity for our small and medium sized businesses in the Scottish Borders to create jobs and grow the economy. “SMEs are a hugely important part of the local economy and with independence we can have an economic policy, at all levels, that supports them and make sure public spending benefits small business by directing even more government spending to Scotland’s small and medium sized firms. “In Scotland 46% of the value of all public contracts goes to SMEs. In the UK it is only 10.5%. With independence we will be able to expand our efforts to get SME’s involved in public contracts into new areas boosting business in the Scottish Borders. “We have already delivered the best tax regime for small business anywhere in the UK. Independence will give us the opportunity to make life simpler for small business by making it easier to pay taxes and comply with regulation – an issue that can be time consuming for businesses with a small workforce. “With an economic policy designed for Scotland we can support our manufacturing industries, drive up exports and promote Scotland around the world. The Scottish Borders is already world renowned for its textiles and food and drink produce, and with a Team Scotland approach exports can be further boosted as we help our businesses to flourish in international markets. “The anti-independence parties have offered business nothing but scaremongering with no new powers to grow the economy, no additional support for business and no job creating powers for Scotland, while the UK Government is playing with fire on Europe – taking a risk that could see the UK leave the EU and its single market of more than 500 million customers. The relentless negativity of the no campaign is wearying for business and given small businesses are the engines of Scotland’s economy we are keen to highlight that a Yes vote provides the opportunity to optimise future support for business in Scotland.” Local Hawick small business owner and joiner, Ryan McGee agrees: “The opportunity to take our destiny and place it firmly in our own hands can only be beneficial for Scotland and the Scottish Borders. As someone who has lived and worked around the UK, spending time in the armed forces, and has come back to Hawick I can see countless ways in which we can better ourselves as a community and a nation with a Yes vote. “I respect Hawick as a town and am extremely proud of the individual characteristics we have here, we now have the chance to display that on a world stage and have our voice heard as a community by a Government focused on Scotland and not London. “As a small business owner it can be struggle to keep afloat but a more efficient tax system, and knowing my taxes stay here, alongside better rural connectivity are particular attractions for me when it comes to voting Yes. “It’s time for Teries to stand up and be counted by an independent Scotland that respects us and our needs as a Borders community. ENDS Note to Editors With a Yes vote Small and medium sized business in Scotland will benefit from: - An economic policy with a focus on Scotland’s SMEs and increased support for manufacturing. - Even more procurement opportunities through Government spending and contracts. While only 10.5 per cent of the value of UK Government public contracts goes to SMEs, devolution has helped SMEs benefit from 46 per cent of public procurement spending in Scotland. With independence this will be expanded to all parts of public sector spending. - The creation of an efficient tax environment, reducing compliance burdens for SMEs. As Scotland’s Future – your guide to an independent Scotland states: “The tax system in Scotland will be designed to reduce compliance burdens facing small and medium-sized enterprises in particular” (p. 99) and “...this Government will task Revenue Scotland to reduce compliance costs for small and medium sized businesses in Scotland to counter what can often be the regressive impact of such costs on small business that generate valuable employment” (p. 121). - Improved connections for rural Scotland – including broadband, mobile and a Scottish postal service, in public hands, tailored to Scotland’s needs. - A Team Scotland approach to promoting goods and services will boost our exports - we will have 70-90 overseas embassies dedicated to boosting Scottish trade. (KB)
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 09:54:48 +0000
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