Kate Forbes to ‘review’ taxes as business fears impact on jobs

Taxation in Scotland will be kept under review, Kate Forbes has said, after a survey suggested concerns around tax and recruitment could threaten the country’s economic growth.

The quarterly economic indicator survey for the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC), which surveyed 410 businesses between May and June, found taxation and recruitment were the leading concerns for firms.

Taxation concerned 52 per cent of firms, overtaking inflation on 50 per cent, and Stephen Leckie, the SCC president, warned that divergence between the Scottish and UK governments may have exacerbated anxieties.

It comes after EY, the accountancy and consulting giant, found there were 142 foreign direct investment projects announced last year, a rise of more than 12 per cent on the previous year. But it warned that