Scottish Chambers of Commerce have released the findings of their members\' survey gauging businesses\' information needs in the lead up to the 2014 Scottish referendum. The survey, conducted in conjunction with eminent Scottish economist Professor David Bell and co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, found that most Scottish businesses don\'t yet feel they have enough information to make up their minds about whether Scotland should remain in the UK or become independent.
Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Liz Cameron commented on the findings:
\'Nearly 60 per cent of businesses surveyed said they didn\'t know enough to take a view on whether Scotland should become independent or remain within the UK. We also found that over 70 per cent of businesses that responded expect that independence would affect their business.
\'This sends a clear message to those conducting the constitutional debate in Scotland that more information is needed on key business concerns to ensure that the choice made in 2014 is based on the best evidence available about the implications of the alternatives offered.
SCC represent businesses of all sizes and sectors across all of Scotland. While our survey found that many concerns were common across the business community, businesses in Scotland\'s largest cities were slightly more likely to feel comfortable that they were getting the information they needed than those in the rest of Scotland, demonstrating a clear need to make access to information and debate inclusive of all of Scotland.
\'The key issues for the surveyed businesses were taxation, Scotland\'s status in the EU and our currency. Business needs clarity on these matters if they are to be able to make an informed judgement come the referendum.
\'Scottish Chambers of Commerce will be working hard between now and referendum day to make sure that members\' priorities are being addressed. This survey shows that the constitutional debate hasn\'t yet engaged clearly enough with the priorities of the Scottish business community. Today, we call on those on both sides of the debate to examine their plans and to ask themselves what more they could be doing to make sure that the Scottish business community has the information it needs.
\'Scottish Chambers of Commerce are apolitical. Our members have a range of views. Our role is to make sure that those views are as informed as possible; these survey findings confirm our commitment to making sure that those taking part in the the constitutional debate address our members\' priorities as fully and as clearly as possible in the lead up to the referendum.\'
