Articles

Business for Scotland reacts to Humza Yousaf’s first Programme for Government

Today, Humza Yousaf lays out his first Programme for Government since taking over as leader of the SNP and First Minister. Yousaf, who ran for leadership on a platform of continuity and synergy with the previous administration, has stated that he hopes to reset his government’s relationship with the business community. Business for Scotland has defined the Scottish Government relationship with business after years of strained and lackluster engagement as desperately in need of a complete root and branch overhaul.  

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How will changes to tax duties affect Scotland's whisky industry?

Whisky and drinks production in general is a vital industry for the Scottish economy. Distilling provides thousands of jobs and contributes millions to Scotland, and the wider UK’s, exports. Recently, Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK is changing how it classifies duty payments on alcoholic beverages, which will have a significant impact on the whisky industry, with businesses arguing that the effects could be ‘catastrophic’. In this article, we will review how whisky and other distilling industries contribute to the Scottish economy and the full scale of the impact of these changes to businesses in Scotland.

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20 minute neighbourhoods - a guide to local living

In April this year, the Scottish Government published a consultation paper titled ‘Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods’. The paper lays out the Scottish Government’s plans to introduce ‘20 minute neighbourhoods’ in an effort to increase access to services, reduce carbon emissions, rejuvenate local economies and improve physical and mental wellbeing.

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