LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The British government's chief secretary to the treasury, David Gauke, held talks in Edinburgh Monday with Scottish business leaders.
Although in the June 23 referendum, Britain voted to leave the European Union(EU), most Scots backed Britain remaining a member of the EU.
Gauke traveled north from Westminster to hear how businesses can continue to play a significant role in Scotland and Britain's economic success after the country's departure from the EU.
Business people at the meeting included representatives from the Scottish whisky industry, banking and insurance organisations as well as the power sector,
Gauke said:" Scottish businesses are some of Britain's outstanding successes, exporting more than 75 billion pounds(97.82 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods and services.
"The clear message today is that Scotland is open for business and I'm here to discuss how we drive further economic growth for Scotland and the UK. I'm determined that we will help businesses and workers here take advantage of the opportunities offered by exiting the EU."
Gareth Williams, Head of Policy, Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) said: "The need to maintain economic stability and growth at home, while opening up more trade opportunities around the world, is key for Scottish businesses at present."
The British government is devolving new tax and welfare powers which will make the Scottish parliament one of most powerful and accountable devolved parliaments in the world, said a spokesman for the government at Westminster.
The new powers will allow the Scottish government to set income tax rates and to borrow up to 3 billion pounds (3.91 billion U.S. dollars) for infrastructure.
In its budget this year, the British government announced a radical package to deliver one of the most competitive tax regimes for oil and gas in the world, safeguarding thousands of jobs and investment in Scotland's gas and oil industries.
