Swinney to unveil pro-growth SNP strategy – Daily Business

John Swinney: repositioning

John Swinney will mark a departure from the SNP’s broadly left wing agenda and promise a pro-growth strategy when he unveils the party’s election manifesto.

The economy will be a focus for his announcement with a new projects office revealed as a centrepiece of an SNP government’s plan to cut bureaucracy and accelerate key developments.

Mr Swinney’s planned re-positioning of the party away from the pursuit of wellbeing and other social issues will mark a significant shift in tone from his predecessors.

He is said to be keen to exploit Scotland’s standing as a location for inward investors and its strengths in renewables and life sciences which have produced new companies that have called for more government support.

The move will be welcomed by businesses which have despaired at the high tax, overly-regulated regime that has been a drag on progress. The hospitality and retail sectors particularly feel the weight of government-imposed costs.

However, the Scottish government has no control over key cost pressures such as national insurance contributions, energy and employment.

Businesses will hope that a pro-growth agenda will at least be translated into measures to support policy areas that do come within Holyrood’s control such as business rates, land and buildings transaction tax and income tax.

A pro-growth agenda will cause some potential tension with the Green party should Mr Swinney require its support in the new parliament. The Greens this week unveiled plans for 16 new taxes.

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