Left-wing tax bid to target hard workers
A LEFT-WING alliance of political parties has launched a bid to force the SNP to hammer the middle classes with even higher taxes.
Labour yesterday published proposals which would see those earning over £42,386 face a 41p rate of income tax, rising to 45p above £60,000 and 50p above £100,000.
The Greens also demanded last night that the SNP goes ‘beyond their own tax plans’ to protect public services.
With the SNP three MSPs short of a majority, it has to secure the support of another party to pass its Budget, which faces its first Holyrood vote tomorrow.
The Tories said Labour, the SNP and Greens would damage the economy by ‘hammering hard workers’. Business chiefs called for MSPs to go for economic growth by not denting consumer spending.
The SNP has proposed shrinking the pay packets of 757,000 Scots by raising tax rates on earnings over £24,000. Labour’s tax plans are another sign it has lurched farther Left under new leader Richard Leonard. He said: ‘It is time to end the failed experiment of austerity by making radical use of the powers available to the Scottish parliament.’
Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie said if the SNP ‘intend to raise the revenue needed to protect local services, they’ll need to accept at least some of what the opposition parties have proposed’.
But Scottish Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: ‘Like the SNP and the Greens, it seems Labour’s only idea for generating more cash for public services is hammering hard workers.’ David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: ‘Our concern with the package of tax rises envisaged is it would dent consumer spending and commercial investment further, making it more likely to hold back the economy.’
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: ‘If Labour had wanted their proposals to be taken seriously they would have submitted them for scrutiny months ago, rather than wait until 48 hours before MSPs vote on the Budget Bill to produce a wish list scribbled on the back of a fag packet.’