May 18, 2012
£500m language tax costing Scotlands economy 18/05/2012
A new study on the financial impact of the decade in decline of learning a language in schools has come up with the figure of £500m lost to Scotlands economy. The loss comes from missed business opportunities on overseas contracts or inward investment. The report, by the Scottish Government's Languages Working Group, has made 35 recommendations for improving the situation. One of the most important is that children should begin learning a second language as soon as they start primary school, rather than primary six, as is now the case.