The major poll of Scottish business leaders reveals their views on which of the Scottish or UK governments is performing better on business and the economy.
The choice of "neither" was also an option for respondents.
Which of the Scottish and UK governments ranked higher?
The Scottish Government is viewed as doing a better job on business and the economy than the UK Government, a poll of business leaders by The Herald reveals.
However, the majority of Scottish business leaders responded “neither” when asked whether the Holyrood administration or Westminster government was doing a better job on this front in the poll, which was conducted in conjunction with the Institute of Directors in Scotland.
Among the bones of contention for Scottish business leaders were the UK Government’s hike in employers’ national insurance contributions and its continuation of the energy profits levy or “windfall tax” on North Sea players.
And more than five-sixths of Scottish business leaders believe Sir Keir Starmer’s administration is not doing enough to address the detrimental effects of Brexit arising from loss of frictionless trade and free movement of people between the UK and European Economic Area.
Some survey respondents meanwhile took issue with the greater income tax burden for higher earners in Scotland relative to their peers in other parts of the UK. And business rates emerged as another significant issue in the poll.
Asked about the one thing the Scottish Government or UK Government could do to boost Scottish business, one IoD Scotland member declared: “The UK Government could reverse the increase in national insurance. It has been a net cost to our business which, for a small business, can make the difference between profit and loss. The Scottish Government needs to get serious about independence, and its potential economic and sociocultural benefits. Unfortunately, it is merely a buzzword for the SNP rather than a real policy aspiration.”
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Other responses included “get out the way”, “stop pretending to be interested “, “reduce income tax burden”, “put income tax on an equal footing with England thereby stopping the brain drain”, “abolish Scottish Parliament”, and “close the Scottish Parliament”.
Asked whether the Scottish Government or UK Government is performing better on business and the economy, around 61% of respondents said “neither”.
Meanwhile, 23% said the “Scottish Government” with 14% opting for the “UK Government” and 2% saying they “don’t know.
Asked how they would say the performance of the Scottish Government has changed in the last year, 31% responded “slightly worse” and nearly 20% declared “much worse”. Meanwhile, 4% say it has “greatly improved”, more than 20% believe it has “slightly improved”, and nearly 23% have observed “no change”, with 2% responding that they do not know or prefer not to say.
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