Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) have indicated indicated that they are supporting a constructive debate on the possible devolution of Corporation Tax to Scotland. Publishing their evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Scotland Bill Committee on Corporation Tax (CT), SCC are adopting an open and pragmatic approach to the devolution of the tax and are posing a number of questions that need to be answered as the debate progresses. Launching the consultation response, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
'The ongoing debate over the Scotland Bill and what additional powers, if any, are needed to ensure Scotland's long term economic success has been a well trodden path in recent years. At Scottish Chambers of Commerce, we have been engaging with our members across Scotland regarding their priorities for devolving powers to a more local level. We have already adopted positions in favour of the devolution of Air Passenger Duty and additional borrowing powers for the Scottish Parliament but the devolution of Corporation Tax has generated a large measure of discussion.
'Our members have told us that low business taxes are important to them, and they are also key to attracting new businesses to invest in Scotland. Corporation Tax is an important example of this but there are also other taxes which fall into this bracket, including Income Tax, payable by sole traders and partnerships, and Business Rates, which are already within the control of the Scottish Government. Corporation Tax is not paid by all businesses
