CBI Scotland, the trade organisation which represents the nation’s businesses, has urged the government to use the upcoming Scottish Budget to ramp-up business investment and confidence.

Against a backdrop of high costs, low demand, and sluggish productivity, the trade organisation has used its annual budget submission, which sets out its key requests of ministers in Holyrood, to advocate for a series of alleviative measures.

When it comes to creating a business environment that’d enable Scotland to better compete both with its neighbours and on the world stage, the group advocated for the publishing of a long-term tax strategy that will attract people to live and work in Scotland, and the freezing of the business rate multiplier for another year due to inflation.

Further, the trade group wants the government to reinstate a level-playing field by bringing the Higher Property Rate/Large Business Supplement in line with the rest of the UK.

CBI Scotland also called for the development of a skilled workforce that’s ready to meet the needs of the modern economy, and the reforming of planning processes and expediting major net-zero opportunities.

On these fronts, actions such as embedding net-zero and digital skills in the education system, and reforming planning processes for local and major green infrastructure projects to provide opportunities for meaningful input from business to unlock and accelerate investment, were suggested.

The Scottish Budget is due to be published less than two weeks’ time, on 19 December.

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Speaking on the budget, director of CBI Scotland, Tracy Black, remarked: “Against a tough economic backdrop for everyone, the Scottish Budget marks an important moment for the Scottish Government to outline its ambitions for growth.

“With business investment now critical to putting Scotland back on a sustainable economic path, we urgently need firms to unleash investment, not try to tough out the difficult months ahead.

“Access to skills, restrictive planning processes and uncompetitive tax policies are acting as a handbrake on growth, and firms need to see that the Scottish Government is committed to meeting these challenges head on.

“Delivering on a manifesto commitment to bring the large business supplement into line with the rest of the UK and mirroring rates reliefs offered by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement are vital first steps on the journey.

“Seizing the huge economic opportunities available to Scotland means doing more than the bare minimum. We should be more ambitious on business rates, by offering a full freeze across the economy, and committing to rip-up the planning red tape that delays critical green energy and infrastructure projects from getting off the ground.

“It also means taking a clear-eyed look at the education and skills system to make sure it’s delivering the skills we need for a modern, digital economy.”