This search includes all content on the Scottish Parliament website, except for Votes and Motions. All Official Reports (what has been said in Parliament) and Questions and Answers are available from 1999. You can refine your search by adding and removing filters.
The first is to"Increase business investment in research and development compared to OECD competitors";the second is to"Improve productivity levels in Scottish industry compared to OECD competitors";and the third is to"Increase entrepreneurial activity in Scotland over time."
I entirely share your observation with regard to the tone of the response compared with that of the press release that was issued on the day that our report was published.
In 2002, which is the last year for which comparative figures are available, Scottish expenditure in business R and D was 0.77 per cent of GDP compared with the north American figure of 1.87 per cent.
The present level of spending is already comparable with spending levels in European countries, yet our service standards are acknowledged to be poorer.
However, property taxation is a virtually universal form of taxation, because it is stable, predictable and comparatively easy to administer and collect, and has a high degree of certainty of yield.