SCOTTISH engineering entrepreneur Jim McColl has predicted many people could vote for independence just to get more powers for the country, if the alternative was the status quo.

Mr McColl, one of Scotland's richest men, has built Clyde Blowers into a global business empire. He made plain his "apolitical" preference for greater fiscal autonomy as opposed to independence but said the Scotland Bill offered nothing significant in the way of useful new powers.

Asked about his preference, he said: "I think more powers would be enough. I don't think we need to be totally independent.

"My worry would be, if the option was the status quo, the only way you would get more powers to stimulate the economy would be independence. I think there is a danger that people would think that way.

"Most people in Scotland want to see more powers. You can't duck that issue."

Mr McColl claimed the Calman Commission had been a "knee-jerk reaction" by the LibDem, Conservative and Labour leaders in Scotland, "led by Wendy Alexander", to the Scottish National Party having secured a minority government position at Holyrood. Describing this as a "wee bit of a scam", Mr McColl added: "The brief they gave the Calman Commission was they couldn't look at anything which gave Scotland an economic advantage over the rest of the UK. That is exactly what we need."

Asked about his view on independence, he told The Herald: "I am apolitical. I am not going to take a political role. If that was what was voted for, we would adapt and work within it."

Reiterating his support for Scotland to have powers to reduce corporation tax, Mr McColl added: "I am very keen on economic growth in Scotland. I think we have potential to do so much more, and we can't do it. We don't have the ability at the moment to attract more businesses in. We desperately need to grow the private sector in Scotland."

He said: "We need a competitive advantage over the rest of the UK to attract businesses here, otherwise they will just go to the south-east (of England) ... Corporation tax does give you that competitive advantage ... We are kind of trapped in this austerity period at the moment. We need growth."

Mr McColl also wants Scotland to be able to raise finance by issuing bonds to fund infrastructure projects.

He said: "There is plenty we could be doing here if we had the borrowing capacity. The current Scotland Bill is not giving Scotland anything really."