Impact of Covid-19 on the Scottish Budget
The Cabinet Secretary states that “we cannot underestimate the scale of the challenge we face as a result of COVID-19” and that this “requires an unprecedented response, and investing in both the immediate resilience and longer-term recovery of our businesses, which this Budget seeks to deliver.”iScottish Government's Scottish Budget: 2021-22 https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2021/01/scottish-budget-2021-22/documents/scottish-budget-2021-22/scottish-budget-2021-22/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-budget-2021-22.pdf page vi She states that the Scottish Government “will use the powers and resources available to us to provide a significant package of support for businesses, particularly those most impacted by the crisis.”iScottish Government's Scottish Budget: 2021-22 https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/corporate-report/2021/01/scottish-budget-2021-22/documents/scottish-budget-2021-22/scottish-budget-2021-22/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-budget-2021-22.pdf page vi
Given that it is clear that the fiscal response to the crisis will continue into 2021-22 it is highly likely that further Barnett consequentials will flow from the UK Budget on 3 March...