Source from BCC
Original News HERE
Scotland is set to have two types of freeport, with the UK and Scottish governments setting them up in competition.
After the two administrations failed to agree on a common approach, the UK government plans to have at least one in Scotland in addition to eight in England.
The Scotland government also plans to have export promotion zones, with a focus on renewable energy and a guarantee for workers of at least the Real Living Wage.
How will they compete? Well, there’s a lot of detail yet to be filled in.
To explain, freeports are a long-standing feature of trade – offering business tax breaks and avoiding tariffs as an incentive to invest and export.
Boris Johnson’s government has pinned big hopes on them. In May, the eight zones chosen were mainly large, including the Thames, Liverpool City Region and the Humber, and on a smaller scale, Plymouth and East Midlands Airport.
