The Herald reports today that the Scottish Government has dropped its plans for a local income tax which would have replaced the council tax.
John Swinney claimed it was impossible to introduce in the light of the £1bn of Westminster imposed cuts and Holyrood opposition to the plan.
'He said: "We cannot put together a stable majority to enable us successfully to steer detailed local income tax legislation through this parliament.
"Indeed, the parliamentary vote in December last year made clear that there is no consensus in this Parliament on the best way forward for local taxation.
"The Cabinet has therefore decided not to introduce legislation to abolish the unfair council tax and replace it with a local income tax until after the election in 2011."'
Mr Swinney has promised the present council tax freeze will continue for the full 4 year term of this government.
The opposition parties will ridicule the withdrawal of the LIT plan, even though they refused to support it in Holyrood, but I consider it a brave decision to announce it now, particularly midweek. Of course the Westminster government prefers to make such announcements on Friday afternoons to avoid the flack.
Now the SNP can go back to the drawing board and start again, because they know and we know there is a much fairer alternative to the council tax. The Westminster government has done everything in its power to ensure Scotland won't have a fair tax and the final straw to the plan was possibly the Inland Revenue's refusal to collect it.
I'm confident the SNP can produce a tax which is fair to all. Tomorrow's FMQs could be more entertaining than usual!
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9 comments:
The opposition parties will ridicule the withdrawal of the LIT plan,
their will be much to ridicule the snp about..
Labour ally themselves with the CBI and have the affrontary to call themselves the party of the people. This will return to haunt them (along with PPP and PFI).
Nowhere near the amount to ridicule your Labour bunch, maty.
You're upset today niko and we understand. You didn't think any of Gordon's pals would be found out to have acted improperly in the banking fiasco did you?
Sir whatsit is the first of many niko, so start taking the Calms now.
Quote from the Burt Review:
'However, reliance on the operation of a Great Britain-wide benefits system restricts the freedom of the
Scottish Executive to shape and refine a local taxation system in line with its view of Scotland’s needs.'
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/153766/0041377.pdf
subrosa,
Good morning, our Nikos still has not got the message that Labour's needs supercedes and does not coincide with Scotland's needs.
Perhaps Gray will outline today, in the Scottish Parliament, Labour's plans to make the Council Tax fairer. An increase of say 60% over the next few years, Nikos, perhaps?
Morning Brownlie
Yes it will be interesting at noon today. Niko's just nervous brownlie, after all, wouldn't you be worried if you knew Gordon Brown was coming to a town near you?
Snowing heavily here and no snowploughs around as yet.
subrosa,
Tip to beat the cold. Snuggle up on the famous settee with a honey toddy.
My granny swears by it and I wish she wouldn't as I'm a wee free!
So your granny wasn't a wee free? Sensible woman :-)
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