He points out that the Scottish Government has “limited levers” with which it can “help boost the economy and alleviate some of the pain caused by the UK Budget announcement last month”.

Saying that “the government simply can’t keep pulling new rabbits out of the hat every year on income tax”, Mr Cartwright calls for “stability, certainty and security for long-term planning”, and for an end to “the current fiscal short-termism”.

He continued: “If we want to make Scotland an attractive place for to invest and keep our businesses competitive, the government needs to clearly set out its future thinking on the six income tax bands and consider reviewing LBTT and business rates relief to make Scotland more attractive to businesses, and investors and individuals to live and work.

“Other points we hope to see from tomorrow’s budget include:

• A clear indication of the Scottish government’s underlying, long term tax strategy
• Wholesale changes or a significant restart on income tax band policy
• A thorough review of public service delivery, including local government infrastructure and structural reform with local authorities for both short and long term
• Greater focus on public sector reform, with a workable and coherent strategy to improve innovation and productivity.”