Dundee has been “allowed to rot” by politicians who “only know how to count paperclips and spend other people’s money”, said UKIP’s leader in Scotland.
David Coburn, who was taking a tour of an adhesive tape factory in Dundee, said bureaucracy and higher taxes is stifling business in the city, while SNP politicians have failed to grasp the bigger picture of the Waterfront development.
Speaking yesterday at Ultratape, Mr Coburn, an MEP who is a list candidate for Holyrood, said he will “ripping up” red tape if elected.
“Dundee is a wonderful city. It has been allowed to rot by a lot of dreadful administrations and it’s time to change,” he said. “We need UKIP, which is a business-minded party. Governments don’t create jobs, businesses do.” He added there are too many politicians without business experience “who just know how to count paperclips and spend other people’s money”.
He said politicians are missing a trick if they do not follow up V&A and redevelopment of the Waterfront by “taking the reins off business and letting them run free”.
David Walker, from Ultratape, said business in Scotland was suffering from having to stomach higher business rates than England, a tax on empty factories and the threat of Scottish independence.
He added: “Until independence is kicked into touch it’s like a living death for businesses.”
Nicola Sturgeon yesterday reacted to criticism from a business alliance headed by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce on a surcharge for larger businesses in Scotland that is double that of England’s. The SNP leader said: “An SNP government would do everything it could to help businesses thrive in Scotland – with competitive business rates, major investment in infrastructure and raising attainment and a drive to break down barriers in education”.
