South Scotland MSP Brian Whittle has challenged the Scottish Government to match the UK Government’s commitment to delivering meaningful economic growth.
The MSP’s call came following Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement of his Plan for Growth, which aims to stimulate the economy and fight the cost-of-living crisis. The wide-ranging package of measures is expected to boost Scotland’s budget by around £630 million.
Among the proposals was a reversal in the planned National Insurance Rise, a freeze on duty to boost the Scotch whisky industry and cutting the basic rate of income tax. It’s expected that the decision to reverse the National Insurance increase will save 2.3 million Scots on average £285 in the next financial year.
Brian has urged the Scottish Government to follow the UK Government’s lead in putting more money into people’s pockets. If the SNP choose not to make those changes to income tax here, then anyone earning over £15,000 will be worse off than if they lived south of the border. Someone earning £25,000 will lose £103 while the figure rises to £196 for someone earning £30,000.
There are also calls for the Scottish Government to match the UK Government’s stamp duty cut by raising the threshold for Scotland’s equivalent tax, LBTT, to £250,000. This would cut the tax paid by home buyers by as much as £2,100.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“With these measures, the UK Government have made their commitment to growing the economy clear. As so many people struggle with the rising cost-of-living, the Chancellor’s Plan for Growth will bring a much-needed boost to Scotland’s economy, delivering hundreds of millions of pounds for investment.
The SNP’s time in government has been plagued by a lack of support for business and miserable economic growth figures and the addition of the Scottish Greens, who don’t even support economic growth, has only made things worse.
Scots are already paying more tax than those elsewhere in the UK, but the SNP are failing to deliver the higher quality public services they continually promise.
The UK Government have delivered unprecedented support for the public and business with energy bills and are clearly determined to get the economy growing more quickly.
If the Scottish Government are genuinely committed to delivering better public services, they need to up their game on economic growth and ensure that Scotland’s tax system attracts investment and jobs rather than driving them away.”
