First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed an audience of around 700 small business owners from the across the UK, telling them that “that Scotland will be the best place to do business anywhere in the UK”.

The First Minister used her speech to talk about how initiatives such as the Scottish Government’s Small Business Bonus Scheme, which has saved businesses around £1 billion since 2008.

The First Minister said:

“When this government came into office, we created the small business bonus. As a result almost 100,000 small business premises in Scotland now pay zero or reduced rates. In total, since 2008, the small business bonus scheme has saved businesses more than one billion pounds.”

The First Minister went on to address the need for a broader cultural change that allows Scotland to become an entrepreneurial nation, highlighting the importance of enterprise education. She said :

“We’re encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation in the school curriculum – for example through the Scotland’s Enterprising Schools initiative.”

The full speech can be read here.