Concern Regarding Bids for Freeport Status

That the Parliament is concerned about ports or other locations in Scotland developing bids for Freeport status; notes what it considers the risk for Scotland of companies moving to such zones in order to avoid tax, planning permission, the real living wage, environmental and other controls; affirms its commitment to high-wage skilled jobs, advanced manufacturing and high productivity supply chain potential from the world-leading offshore wind plans for Scotland's waters, a green economic recovery and sustainable innovative jobs in supporting the Scottish Government's net-zero targets for carbon emissions; is concerned that freeports will not necessarily assist these objectives and might undermine them, and is further concerned that if less tax is paid by individuals and businesses in such zones, then public services would be likely to suffer as a result.