{"id":55084,"date":"2021-01-22T16:47:53","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T16:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=55084"},"modified":"2021-01-22T16:47:53","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T16:47:53","slug":"scotland-is-going-to-get-its-own-version-of-sleazeports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2021\/01\/22\/scotland-is-going-to-get-its-own-version-of-sleazeports\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland is going to get its own version of Sleazeports"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have long been an opponent of so-called freeports, which are the onshore version of tax havens that the Westminster government wants to introduce into the UK<\/a>. To summarise, they undermine fair competition, produce deliberate unfair competition, and are seen as aggressive international tax policy. They may well also undermine EU level playing field rules. Many studies show that freeports are widely associated with crime, tax evasion, money laundering and smuggling. There's very little evidence that they do actually create new jobs, but they do fit into the Singapore-on-Thames agenda.<\/p>\n

I was hoping that the devolved administration would hold against what will become epicentres for potential corruption. The attitude of SNP conference, reported last December<\/a>, was good. They passed a resolution in conference last November saying:<\/p>\n

Conference acknowledges that freeports cannot and will not offset the damage caused by Brexit, which is taking Scotland and the UK out of the world\u2019s biggest free trade area and single market, and is concerned that the Tories\u2019 focus on freeports may be positioned to compete on low-cost, low-wage, low-value opportunities with which they are often associated globally.<\/p>\n

Conference reaffirms that is entirely at odds with the SNP\u2019s ambition for Scotland\u2019s
\neconomy to continue to build a high-productivity, high-wage, innovative economy built on the strength of our world-leading technology, businesses and academic clusters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now they have backtracked, which shows how in much esteem the SNP leadership holds its membership.<\/p>\n

As they announced yesterday<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Proposals have been unveiled for a new model of green ports focused on inclusive growth, fair work practices and delivering a net zero economy.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government is developing plans to establish fair, sustainable, green ports. These would adapt the UK government\u2019s freeport proposals, offering streamlined planning processes and a package of tax and customs reliefs.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government\u2019s green ports would make it necessary for operators and businesses benefitting from the package of incentives to:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n