SNP manifesto: what it means for businesses

We will fight an extreme Brexit that would be damaging for our economy. We will demand a place for Scotland at the Brexit negotiating table and put our place in the European Single Market in the UK’s negotiating remit.

SNP MPs will continue to press the UK government to work with the Scottish Government to support Scotland’s businesses in the wake of Brexit.

We will support an increase in the tax break for investment in plant and machinery – the Annual Investment Allowance – from its current level of £200,000 per year to £1 million per year.

To help create jobs, we will propose a doubling of the Employment Allowance – the National Insurance discount that businesses receive when they increase employment – from £3,000 to £6,000, phased in over the Parliament.

We will press for more action on tax simplification. And we’ll press the UK government to phase the introduction of Quarterly Digital Tax Reporting in over a five-year period.

SNP MPs will support the introduction of effective legal protections to ensure small businesses – particularly those attempting to scale up – are paid on time. We will press the UK government to ensure that it is demonstrating best practice on paying small businesses promptly for the services they deliver.

We are committed to delivering superfast broadband access to 100 per cent of premises by 2021. SNP MPs will now call for the UK government’s broadband Universal Service Obligation to cover up to 30Mbps.

Some of our more rural areas remain so called mobile “not spots” – where there is little or limited mobile phone signal. SNP MPs will support the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity to host a summit on mobile “not spots”, inviting service providers and the UK government to put forward concrete actions for improving mobile connectivity across Scotland.

SNP MPs will call on the UK government to ensure that future mobile spectrum licensing meets key tests on geographical and population coverage, with a ‘rural areas first’ policy for new spectrum deployments.

SNP MPs will call on the UK government to step in to regulate for fair delivery charges for rural communities.

SNP MPs will press the UK government to deliver a strong deal for the oil and gas sector. This must include further support for exploration activity, loan guarantees for infrastructure investment, action on late life oil and gas assets and incentives to diversify into renewables.

Our MPs will fight to win UK government investment and ensure Scotland is home to the UK’s first ultra-deepwater decommissioning port and associated facilities.

Growth in our renewables sector has been undermined by UK government cuts to support. We’ll work to ensure they have the long term certainty to support further development and reduce costs. And we’ll press for onshore wind, tidal and wave power to be included in the UK industrial strategy.

SNP MPs will campaign for a UK government funding commitment to an Ayrshire Growth Deal, a Tay City Deal, a Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deal, an Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal, and a Deal for the Islands of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. SNP MPs will also demand that the UK government meets the ambition and funding put forward by the Scottish Government to develop the south of Scotland.

We will continue to argue for the devolution of immigration powers so that Scotland can have an immigration policy that works for our economy and society. And we will continue to support a post-study work visa, to help attract and retain the skills and talent Scotland needs.

SNP MPs will continue to call on the UK government to guarantee the right of EU nationals to stay in Scotland, including the 8,000 EU nationals who have come to work in our food and drink sector.

We will oppose any extension of the Skills Immigration Charge to workers from the EU, and press for the charge to be scrapped altogether.