Sir Tom Hunter has again called for government ministers to work with business on “radical” plan that would create a new revenue model for the country.
The entrepreneur and investor has been a campaigner for business rates reform and a new tax regime and believes it is time to forge a greater consensus on the economy across the parliament.
In a statement issued today he accused the SNP of presiding over “19 years of stagnation at best” and said the prospect of independence for Scotland was a “distraction” and that the loss of Barnett Formular support would be a £50 billion cost.
“What we need is competent government focused on economic growth. How else can we pay for the challenges ahead?” he said.
“With a gaping £5 billion black hole in our economy looming for 2030, whoever is in power has to have answers.”
His comments follow similar pleas from Sandy Begbie, chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, Michelle Ferguson, director of CBI Scotland, and representatives of a range of other industries, from hospital to retail.
Sir Tom has offered to establish a “business council” of “exceptional talents” to support ministers in the next parliamentary term. This would put “Scotland first, politics second.”
He added: “For the love of Scotland can we all come together and build a better country? Today we herald in a new Government, after 19 years of stagnation at best, and decline in health, education and the economy at worst – so it’s time for radical thinking.
“More of the same will offer an appalling legacy to our children so are our politicians up for it?”
He offered to fund a review of the current tax system through The Hunter Foundation, the vehicle for his family’s philanthropic work, and define with government a “fair, equitable and growth tax alternative” to the existing arrangements.
“No more nurses losing £1,500 to their English counterparts when earning £50,000 or more,” he said.
“And ending the absurd clamp on productivity with workers shunning overtime and promotions for fear of entering the ‘broadest shoulders’ regime.”
He said it was time to release the handbrake on growth and employment that was the non-domestic rates review complete with “scandalous” increases until a fair and transparent system can be designed.
“When I ran shops, 100% of the revenue ran through the shop tills; today maybe 35% does – in the meantime rates have continued to increase. It is unjust and it’s killing the high street.
He demands a radical culling of duplicate agencies and staffing in the public sector.
“In just one example, over 100 separate Government-funded entities offer business support – how about one in a transparent and easy-to-access system?
“Let the people who really know how to improve the NHS have their voice and role in running it. Who do I mean? The front-line workers, not the bureaucrats a mile away from the realities of care. And while we’re there, let’s double down on prevention.
“Let the head teachers have autonomy to run their own schools; do we never learn the lessons from Jordanhill Secondary School
“Double down on support for scaling businesses – if we added 50% more in five years we’d add over 100,000 jobs and up to £18 billion to the Scottish economy and guess what? More tax, growth and opportunity.
“Fast track planning applications for any housing development over 100 houses – we have a housing crisis to deal with.
“Lastly, though I could go on, open up licences in the North Sea now – we have a deficit to 2050 of oil and gas that the North Sea could plug largely with 6 billion more barrels of oil and gas
“‘Stop’, I hear the environmentalists say – do they understand the negative environmental impact of importing instead of domestic production: jobs, tax and opportunity versus us being a slave to imports?”
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