Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Scotland Office

Oral Answers to Questions

John Stevenson Excerpts
Wednesday 7th May 2014

(10 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Stevenson Portrait John Stevenson (Carlisle) (Con)
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In places such as Carlisle, many businesses have branches and offices on both sides of the border. Does the Secretary of State agree that if Scotland votes yes there is a real danger that there will be such an additional burden on those businesses that it will have an effect on jobs and economic prosperity on both sides of the border?

Alistair Carmichael Portrait Mr Carmichael
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Inevitably, an independent Scotland would have a different taxation system, different national insurance provisions and different economic regulations, and that would impose an extra cost on business. The financial services sector, which supports 200,000 jobs in Scotland, has already issued serious warnings about what would happen to its business and how it would organise itself if Scotland became independent.