Tax reforms are vital to funding increases
Last week saw the Scottish Government’s budget, including new Scottish income tax rates, passed in Parliament.
As a minority administration, the SNP government had to negotiate and consult with opposition parties in order to get the budget passed – however there were stark contrasts in their attitudes.
Whilst the Greens engaged constructively from the outset, Labour and the Tories were woefully uninterested in the process and carped from the sidelines.
The budget goes through a formal process of scrutiny from committees and the parliament as a whole – yet Labour did not put forward their proposals when they had ample opportunity to do so, only coming up with “back of a fag packet” proposals, produced 48 hours before the debate.
What confidence can Labour voters have if their own party’s MSPs cannot be bothered to co-operate with the Scottish Government, and then subsequently vote with the Tories against the progressive measures included?
The Tories – the so-called opposition – did not even bother presenting an alternative budget, preferring instead to confirm that they are steadfastly against progressive changes to income tax which would see higher earners paying more tax, despite the majority of people in Scotland supporting such changes.
The Tories would have cut tax revenue by £501 million - that’s the equivalent of our NHS losing over 12,000 nurses - without explaining how this would reverse the £200 million real terms cut from Scotland’s resource block grant from the UK Government, nor the impact this would have on public services.
It is absolutely clear both the Tories and Labour are completely uninterested in the serious business of government.
The SNP’s progressive reforms on income tax, which will see 70 per cent of people pay less than they did last year, and 55 per cent of people in Scotland paying less than they would if they lived south of the border, are vital to facilitate the budget’s funding increases, despite continued austerity being imposed at Westminster.
Through this SNP budget, Scotland will be not only the fairest-taxed part of the UK but, for the majority of taxpayers, the lowest-taxed part of the UK.
This was a Scottish budget which provides extra funding for our NHS – with NHS Lanarkshire receiving over £1.1billion in the next financial year, extra provision for education, more money for our economy, research and our environment – as well as protecting free university tuition, free personal care for the elderly, free school meals and free prescriptions.
The budget also includes, yet again, a fair settlement for local government, despite the cuts to the Scottish budget from the UK Government.
South Lanarkshire Council are guaranteed a 2.16 per cent increase in their resource budget providing extra funding for schools, roads and housing.
This extra settlement, equating to an additional £12 million for the coming year, is good news for our local communities and our local government workers.
The SNP Scottish Government’s budget also delivers a pay rise for workers in our public sector – the only part of the UK to make such a commitment.
This was a budget that works for my constituents in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.
A budget that shows Scotland is on the path to a better future.
Labour and the Tories were woefully uninterested in the process