The Finance Secretary must slash taxes and scrap plans for a food price cap, retailers have said.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) also urged Jenny Gilruth to make spending cuts as it published its budget wishlist.
The business group issued 21 recommendations to the Scottish Government to improve the nation’s economy and the public finances.
Among the asks sent to Ms Gilrith is a promise of no new taxes on the retail sector, while “avoiding new regulatory burdens”.
It also wants stores in Scotland to benefit from increased rates relief to at least the same levels as those seen in England.
The Finance Secretary is urged to make shopping safer by committing more money to Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce and resourcing Trading Standards to tackle unscrupulous illicit traders.
The SRC also asked the Deputy First Minister to cut taxes by narrowing the difference between taxes elsewhere in the UK during her next budget, expected in December.
The group also urged Ms Gilruth to show “spending restraints” while cutting health boards, councils, and the number of civil servants.
With the Holyrood election behind us now is the time to take the tough decisions to balance the books, support shoppers and retail businesses, and kickstart economic growth.
SRC director David Lonsdale said: “Scotland’s retailers are weathering an economic storm as the costs of international instability and domestic public policy impact on their supply chains and their own operations.
“In the face of these challenges the industry is looking for an unabashed Budget for shoppers which supports businesses who are doing everything in their power to keep costs down for Scottish households.
“That requires new Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth to grapple with the legacy of the last Parliament which has left Scottish shops with a less generous rates discount than England at every level, with a complicated income tax system which impacts recruitment, and with a public sector which needs to cut its cloth in the same manner as industry.
“It also means ministers need to focus on what measures can make the most tangible improvements to people’s lives, for example enhancing the successful Retail Crime Taskforce and ditching the ill-conceived and incoherent statutory food price cap.”
Mr Lonsdale said the industry was willing to work with the Scottish Government to make Scotland the “best place in the UK to grow a retail business”.
He added: “With the Holyrood election behind us now is the time to take the tough decisions to balance the books, support shoppers and retail businesses, and kickstart economic growth.
“If the Government can do that we’d urge MSPs from across Parliament to work collegiately to pass a pro-growth Budget. The first Budget of this session has the chance to set a new pro-growth tone.
“We hope the new Finance Secretary will seize the moment.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The retail sector is a significant part of the Scottish economy and labour market, with potential to grow.
“That is why we continue to support it ensuring that almost all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses benefit from rates relief.
“The Scottish Government also funds the Small Business Bonus Scheme, the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, to which more than 100,000 properties are eligible.
“Last week, we published draft legislation which aims to make essential food items more affordable for households struggling to pay for their weekly shop, particularly those on lower incomes.
“Our ambition is to help people access affordable, nutritious food while supporting a food industry that is resilient, sustainable, competitive and successful.
“While decisions taken by the Scottish Government means Scotland already has the most generous cost of living package in the UK and most taxpayers can expect to pay less income tax than those in the rest of the UK, bold action is necessary.”