Scottish Government Growth Strategy

As an amendment to motion S4M-02808 in the name of John Swinney (Scottish Government Growth Strategy), leave out from "supports" to end and insert “believes that the Scottish Government’s actions do not back up its claim to be prioritising long-term sustainable economic growth for Scotland; regrets the Scottish Government’s decision to cut college funding at a time of high youth unemployment; regrets the Scottish Government’s decision to cut spending on housing at a time when construction faces a very difficult time; believes that introducing a £95 million raid on Scottish retailers at a time when retail in Scotland is struggling is mistaken; calls on the Scottish Government to rethink its proposal to reduce substantially empty property rates relief, which will act as another brake on growth; welcomes measures taken by the UK Government, including the additional cut in corporation tax, which will mean that, by April 2014, the UK will have a 22% corporation tax rate; welcomes the £20 billion National Loans Guarantee Scheme to get cheaper loans to businesses; welcomes the £1 billion youth contract, which will provide 40,000 work places in Scotland, and welcomes the recent announcement to locate the corporate headquarters of the Green Investment Bank in Edinburgh.”