Our Business Policy Priorities

Scottish Chambers of Commerce works with businesses across Scotland to identify the barriers holding back investment, productivity and growth – and the practical action government can take to remove them.

Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, we published Backing Scotland’s Businesses: A Plan for Growth, setting out a long-term roadmap to strengthen Scotland’s competitiveness and create the conditions for sustainable economic growth.

Our 2026–27 Programme for Government submission builds on that work, focusing on the immediate action the Scottish Government can take over the year ahead.

Business confidence has struggled to recover on a sustained basis, with rising costs, weaker demand and economic uncertainty forcing many firms to delay investment, become more cautious about recruitment and focus on protecting day-to-day operations.

Our submission calls on the Scottish Government to focus on three priorities:

Reduce the cost of doing business

High labour, energy and input costs continue to put pressure on businesses across Scotland, while taxation and Non-Domestic Rates are increasingly affecting investment decisions.

We are calling for meaningful reform of Non-Domestic Rates, including immediate changes to Fresh Start relief to support retail and hospitality businesses investing in Scotland’s town and city centres.

We also want the Scottish Government to begin restoring Scotland’s tax competitiveness and introduce a formal Competitiveness Test to ensure major tax, regulatory and spending decisions support investment and growth.

Accelerate infrastructure delivery

Businesses need confidence that the infrastructure underpinning investment will actually be delivered.

We are calling for the Scottish Government’s proposed Major Projects Office to be established immediately, with responsibility for driving forward nationally and regionally significant projects and resolving barriers to delivery.

Our priorities also include greater transparency over major infrastructure projects, faster grid connections for strategic investment areas and statutory consenting timescales for offshore wind developments.

Address skills shortages

Businesses across Scotland continue to struggle to recruit the people and skills they need to grow.

Employers should have a much stronger role in determining workforce priorities and how publicly funded skills provision responds to economic demand.

We are also calling for a targeted tax incentive pilot to encourage people completing education or training in Scotland to build their careers in occupations where persistent skills shortages are constraining growth.

Creating the conditions for growth

Taken together, these measures would make it easier for businesses to invest, recruit and grow while strengthening Scotland’s long-term competitiveness.

Charandeep Singh BEM, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“This is about creating the conditions for growth. If we get the fundamentals right – competitive taxation, modern infrastructure and access to the skills businesses need – Scotland has enormous economic potential.”

Read our full 2026–27 Programme for Government submission below.

Read our full 2026-27 Programme for Government submission below: