John Swinney hinted he is opposed to more tax rises as he reached out to business in a speech on the economy.
Swinney raised the higher and top rates of tax by 1p each when he was acting finance secretary in December 2022. Workers in Scotland earning £28,500 or above already paid more income tax than those living elsewhere in the UK.He said his Government would be "a firmly pro-business administration" and pledged decisions would only be made “after careful listening and full engagement”.
“A partnership with trade unions and business will be at the core of my approach and through that approach and given our resources, not least incredible renewable energy, we should look to the future with hope and optimism.”