Another tidbit that has gone largely unreported this week is that Lloyds TSB has registered the new holding company for the TSB Bank, which it is due to sell off, in England, for tax purposes. The company said it was concerned about the impact on the sale, if the company had been Scottish-registered, because investors believe there are too many unanswered questions over the tax regime of an independent Scotland.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...land-move.html
The TSB was founded in Scotland in 1810 and will continue to be registered as a bank in Scotland, although that will be cold comfort to John Swinney who in the event of a Yes vote will not be able to tax the company's profits. Those will flow into the UK exchequer in London.
Standard Life, which is registered in Scotland but has most of its pensions customers elsewhere in the UK, is also said to be somewhat concerned for its future. And I bet they're not the only ones.
This is good, the nearer we get to the referendum, the more businesses are prepared to abandon attempts to curry favour with the current office holders in Edinburgh in favour of looking out for their long-term interests.