TACKLING unemployment and easing the credit squeeze should be at the top of Chancellor George Osborne's agenda in Wednesday's Budget, according to Scotland's business organisations.
Improving access to credit for businesses, cutting air passenger duty and fuel prices and prioritising capital investment projects should also be key areas for the Chancellor.
"From a Scottish perspective one of the key issues is new, non-banking finance for the business community," said Stuart McKinnon of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland.
The FSB has called for short-term alternative solutions to the funding squeeze on small businesses, which are vital to driving growth in Scotland.
That call that was taken up last Friday by Alex Salmond in an address to the annual forum of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).
"We are hoping to see something in this area in the Budget," Mr McKinnon said. "Obviously the price of fuel at the pumps is having an impact on many small businesses out there, and any move in that direction will be most welcome."
He added: "The other important element is payroll taxes, specifically employers' national insurance. There is no greater threat to Scotland's prospects and the UK's than a sustained period of mass unemployment. We need to get businesses moving, and at a time when our members are more positive than they have been in more than a year we need to try to capitalise on that."
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said the budget was a major opportunity for the UK Government to respond to the recent downgrade of the economic forecast for 2012 and introduce measures to support firms "until growth becomes more normalised, probably over the course of 2013 and 2014".
Chief executive Liz Cameron said the chambers wanted measures that would benefit a wide section of the business community in Scotland, principally through speeding up measures to ease access to credit, and through a targeted, time-limited capital allowance scheme.
"We are also seeking a lead from the UK Government on tackling the unwarranted 5.6% rise in business rates throughout the UK, which is due to take effect on April 1," she said.
The organisation is calling for a rethink on the raising of Air Passenger Duty, which it says compromises the competitiveness of Scottish airports.
SCDI Chief Executive Dr Lesley Sawers said: "This Budget should prioritise increased capital investment, especially infrastructure projects which generate a short-term stimulus and enhance GDP growth in the long-term, and measures to stimulate private investment."
Dr Sawers added that the North Sea oil and gas industry needed certainty on decommissioning relief, which would unlock billions of pounds of investment.
She added: "Unemployment, especially youth unemployment, is a key concern. The Chancellor should encourage and support the efforts of many businesses, public agencies and the third sector to create job opportunities and offer training and apprenticeships. "
She backed easier access to finance for small firms and called for an to end to tax discrimination against whisky and the reversal of the planned rise in air passenger duty.
Michael Levack, chief executive of the Scottish Building Federation, said: "Releasing additional funds for capital investment, cutting VAT on home repairs and improvements and action to get banks lending again should be top of the Chancellor's priority list."
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