By John Lamont MP
I regularly speak with local businesses across the Borders to ensure I have a good sense of their needs and concerns.
As your MP, it's vital I stay engaged with the issues that are affecting local enterprises.
Small businesses have told me for many years that they don't get much support from the SNP government at Holyrood.
They have become accustomed to an economic environment in Scotland that isn't as positive as it could be.
Over the years, the SNP have often overlooked and even ignored the needs of small businesses.
On several occasions, business rates relief provided by the previous Conservative UK government was not passed on in full to Scottish enterprises, which left them at a disadvantage compared to their competitors south of the border.
However, when I speak to local businesses now, most of their frustration is directed towards the UK Labour government.
Despite promising not to increase National Insurance, that's exactly what the Chancellor Rachel Reeves did in her first budget last year.
She increased National Insurance, which is essentially a tax on jobs.
The economic consequences, which were predictable beforehand, have been severe.
Businesses across the Borders have been forced to reduce the hours they operate, limit the number of hours that employees work, and scale back investment plans.
This disastrous move from Rachel Reeves is also having a real impact on UK public finances, which haven't been helped by a series of u-turns from Labour.
Now, as a result of Labour's economic choices, there is projected to be a substantial shortfall in the government's spending plans.
In the next budget, which is scheduled for November, Rachel Reeves will have to make up for that shortfall, most likely by raising taxes or increasing borrowing.
The options on the table appear to be: freezing income tax thresholds, which would drag more people into paying higher rates of tax; introducing capital gains tax on your home; changing inheritance tax rules; cutting the tax-free pension lump sum or reducing pension tax relief; and either lowering dividend allowance or raising dividend tax.
Over the coming weeks and months, I will be campaigning against these options because I know that working people cannot afford to face even bigger bills and I do not want to see a higher debt burden left to future generations.
Labour simply cannot keep recklessly spending while expecting the public to pick up the tab.
