9. 5. Plaid Cymru Debate: Small Businesses

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:46 pm on 30 November 2016.

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Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru 4:46, 30 November 2016

Well, I don’t know, but it’s a question that, jointly, we can put to the Government. Certainly, I’d be very keen that it is done on a proper data-gathering basis so that we can learn the lessons for the future as well. I think Hefin David made a good point, actually, that, obviously, the motivation of owner-managers is going to be different. Ultimately, they are there, obviously, to make a profit so that they can sustain the growth of their business. Certainly, they are not simply there as job generators. But they are, importantly, wealth generators, of course, and I agree with him that, actually, maybe we need to shift the focus of our economic development policy on to value-added rather than simply on job numbers. So, I think it is consistent with what he argued there. I think the idea of an all-Wales enterprise zone—. I’m grateful for the support of my fellow Amman Valley alumnus. I referred to the UUP-Plaid Cymru—if that is an unholy alliance, then this is probably taking us down a very, very dark route indeed. But I think the purpose of making the whole of Wales an enterprise nation, if you like, is to give us the tax levers, all of the tax levers, that, of course, can be deployed differently for different sectors, maybe, and also in different parts of Wales. But, unless we have those tax powers, of course, we won’t be able to use them to good effect as a nation. That is, ultimately, I think, the purpose. It’s very, very important for small businesses, but for businesses of all scale as well, that we, actually, as well as getting a new economic strategy, have the levers, the policy levers, that are going to enable us to deliver on that.