FSB Calls for Small Business Help to be Centrepiece of Programme for Government

Ahead of tomorrow’s unveiling of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland has written to Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP, arguing that support for small business must be at its heart.

In the context of almost one in six Scottish businesses considering shrinking, shutting or selling in the next 12 months, FSB has proposed using underspend from Covid grants to provide discretionary funding to local authorities and rebates through the business rates system.

FSB’s Policy Chair for Scotland Andrew McRae said: “As the Scottish Government looks to set out its plans for the year ahead, it’s vitally important that they keep smaller operators in mind. More people in Scotland are employed by small businesses than the NHS – keeping SMEs afloat means saving jobs and livelihoods and keeping services in our communities.

“This is a complex crisis which will have complex solutions – many of which are not in the gift of the Scottish Government. We want this Programme for Government to deliver a series of measures to make sure that businesses don’t face further burdens in these already troubling times. At a minimum, Government must assess all upcoming plans to ensure that they don’t add undue cost or challenges to small business.”