My Interventions on the Finance Bill (1)

Drew Hendry

Had the right hon. Gentleman done any real research, he would know that the figures for the UK are skewed dramatically by the overheated economy of London and the south-east, which buck the UK trend. If he looks at the figures for all the counties of England, including those in the north of England, he will see how the Government are letting down the people of England across the piece. But of course he does not want to do that. He just wants to make a lazy characterisation of what is happening, saying nothing about people’s potential, which is being ignored and run down by this place, this Government and the official Opposition, who have no idea how to change that.

Clauses 1 to 4 aim to maintain the current rates of income tax, including the savings rates, for another financial year. However, they do little to mitigate the Government’s broader fiscal missteps. In contrast, Scotland’s progressive approach to income tax under the SNP— I almost choked when we heard about progressive taxation earlier—has not only shielded public services from Westminster’s austerity but enhanced them, generating approximately £1.5 billion in additional revenue. We are protecting those on lower incomes, because most people in Scotland pay less income tax and dramatically less council tax than people in England.

All the scare stories about people leaving Scotland because of its progressive policies have proved to be rubbish. The report from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has shown that more higher-rate taxpayers have moved to Scotland. The revenue that the Scottish Government are attracting supports a wide array of social benefits, from free prescriptions to university tuition, which significantly reduces the cost of living for Scottish residents. Those are all things that this Parliament would attack, and Kezia Dugdale has today posted a warning about what would happen if Labour got its hands on the Scottish Parliament.

9 Comments

Lynn Atkinson
May 13, 2024

You have to be able to sell your house to move.

Peter
May 13, 2024

From the hostile tone it is no surprise that Drew Hendry is an SNP politician.

He lays out all the stuff Scotland gets free prescriptions university tuition etc but gives no real justification for this, or concern about where the money comes from.

There should be a level playing field across all Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Measures to address particular regional issues should then be a separate debate.

Bloke
May 13, 2024

The UK doesn’t need a regional parliament in Scotland making it worse.

Dave Andrews
May 13, 2024

Hear, hear. Local and central government is sufficient and necessary.
1. Lynn Atkinson
  May 14, 2024
  
  I’m not so sure about local.

Bloke
May 13, 2024

The Oxford Dictionary defines the formal meaning of ‘devolution’ as ‘descent to a lower or worse state’.
Scotland was better when it was formerly run by Scottish MPs in Westminster and its Local Authorities.
Then Blair started the process that led to duplication, discord, delay, losses and waste, added at the expense and decline of the UK: as a whole into a hole.

Walt
May 13, 2024

Scrap the Barnett formula.

Sir Joe Soap
May 13, 2024

Again over 14 years your party in government has allowed and even encouraged this whinging. Another slice of the reason it must go.
The “overheated” London and southeast is dismissed by this spokesman rather than praised as a prop for the greater provision of services in Scotland than we have in London and southeast. It would be laughable if it wasn’t serious! Again we need a government which sorts this out by disallowing more socialism in Scotland even than we have here, rather than actively encouraging it.
Again, the piper must play the paymaster’s tune, not vice versa.

Everhopeful
May 13, 2024

How incredibly rude!

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