THE number of businesses in Scotland has increased by 46 per cent since 1999 when the Scottish Parliament was re-established.
However, the Federation of Small Business in Scotland said that the number of firms across the UK over the same period increased by 63%.
According to new research from the FSB in Scotland, there were 231,525 businesses in Scotland in the year 2000, set against the latest set of Scottish Government figures which show 338,110 businesses, excluding non-profit organisations, north of the Border.
By comparison, across the UK in 2018 there were 2.2 million more businesses than in 2000, up 63%.
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Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chair, said: “There are 100,000 more Scottish businesses now than when the new Scottish Parliament first met in May 1999.
“These operators have started up in an environment where a decision made at Holyrood can have as much of an influence on a firm’s success as an announcement during the UK budget.
“This means decision-makers in Holyrood have to combine their ambitions for the country with an understanding of how their proposals will work in the real economy."
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He added: "While UK-wide business growth figures are disproportionately influenced by London and the south east, Scotland should aspire to drive up both start-up and business survival rates.
"Building the vibrant and successful Scotland we all want to see requires a flourishing private sector.”
The FSB also urged government to support smaller firms in public procurement and business rates reform, saying: “Too few Scottish smaller businesses are winning public contracts.”
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