First Minister Alex Salmond has revealed newspapers would continue to be exempt from VAT in an independent Scotland.
At the inaugural Scottish Newspaper Society (SNS) conference in Glasgow, Mr Salmond added: “Regulation of the press has been devolved since 1999 and yet newspapers have shared the same regulation system as the UK and there’s no reason that couldn’t continue in an independent Scotland.
“Indeed, the Royal Charter could apply as easily as it could in a devolved Scotland,”
Lord Black of Brentwood, executive director of the Telegraph media group, was the first keynote speaker of the afternoon, presenting on the future of self-regulation for the industry and the role of the incoming Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
He said: “IPSO will be a new organisation, not some daughter of the PCC. It will be a completely new beast in the media jungle.
“Crucially, this will be a system of self-regulation without interference from politicians, parliament or hard-pressed tax payers.”
The final keynote speaker was Ellis Watson, CEO of DC Thomson Publishing, who presented a vision for the future.
He said: “I call on all of us to get back to the basics of what journalism should be about. More than ever before it is about being brave.”
Mr Salmond also highlighted the importance of local journalism, singling out The Courier’s dementia campaign as a shining example.