Lib Dem lesson

The reason the Liberal Democrats were less than enthusiastic about the first SNP government’s proposals for a local income tax (Letters, 19 September) was that it wasn’t local!

It was to be set by Holyrood, thus increasing central control and local accountability. For the sake of getting rid of the unfair council tax, though, there were noises made by Lib- Dems to accept this arrangement for the first year or so, but with a clear schedule for devolving control to councils.

However, the SNP chose to walk away, citing “no consensus” – to be fair, to have a majority in that Parliament for change they also needed the support of the two Greens and Margo Macdonald, who were holding out for land value tax instead.

However, that does not explain the SNP’S failure to address the issue in the next administration, when until 2016 they had an absolute majority and could have replaced council tax with any option they chose. Maybe, of course, they were distracted by something else.

(CLLR) JANE ANN LISTON Scottish Liberal Democrats

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