![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Screenshot-2015-06-13-10.56.08-e1466489365305.png\")
Sir Tom Hunter has again called for government ministers to work with business on \u201cradical\u201d plan that would create a new revenue model for the country.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued today he accused the SNP of presiding over \u201c19 years of stagnation at best\u201d and said the prospect of independence for Scotland was a \u201cdistraction\u201d \u00a0and that the loss of Barnett Formular support would be a \u00a350 billion cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we need is competent government focused on economic growth. How else can we pay for the challenges ahead?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a gaping \u00a35 billion black hole in our economy looming for 2030, whoever is in power has to have answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sir Tom has offered to establish a \u201cbusiness council\u201d of \u201cexceptional talents\u201d to support ministers in the next parliamentary term. This would put \u201cScotland first,\u00a0politics\u00a0second.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cFor 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 \u2013 so it\u2019s time for radical thinking. <\/p>\n
\u201cMore of the same will offer an appalling legacy to our children so are our politicians up for it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He offered to fund a review of the current tax system through The Hunter Foundation, the vehicle for his family\u2019s philanthropic work, and define with government a \u201cfair, equitable and growth tax alternative\u201d to the existing arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more nurses losing \u00a31,500 to their English counterparts when earning \u00a350,000 or more,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd ending the absurd clamp on productivity with workers shunning overtime and promotions for fear of entering the \u2018broadest shoulders\u2019 regime.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it was time to release the handbrake on growth and employment that was the non-domestic rates review complete with \u201cscandalous\u201d increases until a fair and transparent system can be designed. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I ran shops, 100% of the revenue ran through the shop tills; today maybe 35% does \u2013 in the meantime rates have continued to increase. It is unjust and it\u2019s killing the high street.<\/p>\n
He demands a radical culling of duplicate agencies and staffing in the public sector. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn just one example, over 100 separate Government-funded entities offer business support \u2013 how about one in a transparent and easy-to-access system?<\/p>\n
\u201cLet 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\u2019re there, let\u2019s double down on prevention.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the head teachers have autonomy to run their own schools; do we never learn the lessons from Jordanhill Secondary School<\/p>\n
\u201cDouble down on support for scaling businesses \u2013 if we added 50% more in five years we\u2019d add over 100,000 jobs and up to \u00a318 billion to the Scottish economy and guess what? More tax, growth and opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cFast track planning applications for any housing development over 100 houses \u2013 we have a housing crisis to deal with.<\/p>\n
\u201cLastly, though I could go on, open up licences in the North Sea now \u2013 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<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Stop\u2019, I hear the environmentalists say \u2013 do they understand the negative environmental impact of importing instead of domestic production: jobs, tax and opportunity versus us being a slave to imports?\u201d<\/p>\n
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