Independent Scotland may face everyday price increases
12/09/2014
If Scotland votes yes in the upcoming independence referendum many business have advised that they may have to increase prices of goods and services in Scotland.
The phone networks BT, EE, O2, TalkTalk and Vodafone are in talks about a joint statement which would refer to "the inevitability of cost increases" for operators .
The shops John Lewis, Waitrose and Asda have also said that they may be forced to increase prices in Scotland. The chairman of John Lewis said it was "most probable" that prices will rise, with costs passed on to customers.
This shows the wider economical effects a “Yes” vote may have on Scotland, and how it could impact on everyday consumers finances. Former Prime Minster Gordon Brown, who is from Scotland, has also spoken up to warn that independence would be bad for jobs and family finances.
Andy Clarke, president and chief executive of Asda said: "If we were no longer to operate in one state with one market and - broadly - one set of rules, our business model would inevitably become more complex. We would have to reflect our cost to operate here.
This is not an argument for or against independence, it is simply an honest recognition of the costs that change could bring."
Alex Salmond’s former mentor, Jim Sillars, accused large companies who have spoken out against separation this week of attempting to “subvert” the referendum through “lies and distortions”.
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