Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 02 February 2011
02 Feb 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Non-Domestic Rates (Levying) (Scotland) (No 3) Regulations 2010
In last week’s debate on the budget, I said that rising unemployment was the signal failure of nearly four years of SNP Government. When John Swinney delivered his first budget, Scotland had the lowest rate of unemployment; now it has the highest.
It is worth reflecting on the fact that, in only the past few days, we have heard that the closure of coastguard stations on the Clyde and the Forth could lead to 250 job losses. Staff at James Watt College in Greenock have been told that up to 75 full-time teaching posts could go, as well as 24 support workers. The Scottish Refugee Council has announced that 44 of its 59 staff could lose their jobs. Nearly 70 jobs are under threat at Robert Wiseman Dairies. The list goes on.
Nearly 225,000 people in Scotland are unemployed. Families are struggling to cope on benefits and wondering how they will make ends meet. That is why the budget should have been about jobs, jobs and jobs. However, the proposed tax is anti-jobs—8,000 jobs.
The debate epitomises the conduct of the SNP Government. As ever, it starts with the traditional broken manifesto promise. The SNP manifesto said that the party would
“deliver a more competitive tax environment for Scottish business.”
SNP ministers even told us:
“the poundage in Scotland will not rise above the equivalent English rate”.
Like the first-time home buyers who are still waiting for their grants, the students who are waiting for their debt to be cancelled and the children who are waiting for their class sizes to fall, the business community now understands the lesson that the SNP cannot be trusted.
The broken promise is compounded by the shoddy treatment of our business community, to which other members have referred. Again, many of us should not be surprised by those actions. Whether in the shambles of revaluation and the lack of transitional relief, the cancellation of the Glasgow airport rail link or any other measure that the Government has taken, the SNP’s disregard for the economy and jobs is clear to see.
In proposing the levy, the Scottish Government is also guilty of misleading Scottish business. The tax has been and continues to be called an out-of-town tax—the First Minister was at it just last week. It is not an out-of-town tax, as members have said: it will tax businesses in many vulnerable high streets and town centres in our country, as the business community on Glasgow’s style mile and Edinburgh’s Princes Street has made clear. In my constituency, East Kilbride, which is heavily reliant on retail, jobs will be put at risk. The supermarket tax is an example of town centre regeneration in reverse.
It is worth reflecting on the fact that, in only the past few days, we have heard that the closure of coastguard stations on the Clyde and the Forth could lead to 250 job losses. Staff at James Watt College in Greenock have been told that up to 75 full-time teaching posts could go, as well as 24 support workers. The Scottish Refugee Council has announced that 44 of its 59 staff could lose their jobs. Nearly 70 jobs are under threat at Robert Wiseman Dairies. The list goes on.
Nearly 225,000 people in Scotland are unemployed. Families are struggling to cope on benefits and wondering how they will make ends meet. That is why the budget should have been about jobs, jobs and jobs. However, the proposed tax is anti-jobs—8,000 jobs.
The debate epitomises the conduct of the SNP Government. As ever, it starts with the traditional broken manifesto promise. The SNP manifesto said that the party would
“deliver a more competitive tax environment for Scottish business.”
SNP ministers even told us:
“the poundage in Scotland will not rise above the equivalent English rate”.
Like the first-time home buyers who are still waiting for their grants, the students who are waiting for their debt to be cancelled and the children who are waiting for their class sizes to fall, the business community now understands the lesson that the SNP cannot be trusted.
The broken promise is compounded by the shoddy treatment of our business community, to which other members have referred. Again, many of us should not be surprised by those actions. Whether in the shambles of revaluation and the lack of transitional relief, the cancellation of the Glasgow airport rail link or any other measure that the Government has taken, the SNP’s disregard for the economy and jobs is clear to see.
In proposing the levy, the Scottish Government is also guilty of misleading Scottish business. The tax has been and continues to be called an out-of-town tax—the First Minister was at it just last week. It is not an out-of-town tax, as members have said: it will tax businesses in many vulnerable high streets and town centres in our country, as the business community on Glasgow’s style mile and Edinburgh’s Princes Street has made clear. In my constituency, East Kilbride, which is heavily reliant on retail, jobs will be put at risk. The supermarket tax is an example of town centre regeneration in reverse.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on Parliamentary Bureau motion S3M-7841, in the name of Mike Rumbles, on the Non-Domestic Rates (Levying) (Scotland) (N...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Before I call members to speak, I point out that time is limited, so we had better stick to the speaking time limits. I call Jeremy Purvis, who has seven min...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD)
LD
This is the third time that we have brought to Parliament concerns about the rates that businesses in Scotland pay. In advance of today, we have consistently...
Jeremy Purvis
LD
I hear SNP members shouting “Jobs, jobs.” I will come back to jobs in a moment. Perhaps those members are referring to the 8,000 jobs that the Scottish Retai...
Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con)
Con
The Scottish Government’s proposals are nothing more than an ill-judged raid on retail at a time when it least needs it. At the beginning of the process, bac...
Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind)
Ind
As another Lothians member, I am intrigued as to how much it is estimated the 12 stores in Princes Street will lose. Does the member have those figures to hand?
Gavin Brown
Con
From the most accurate figures that I have seen, which involved adding up the stores that we knew about—in which we were assisted by the Edinburgh Chamber of...
Margo MacDonald
Ind
Each?
Gavin Brown
Con
That is the total for Princes Street. It might be slightly more or less, but that is the ballpark figure. That is additional taxation, on top of the rates th...
The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism (Jim Mather)
SNP
To what extent does the UK Government consult on rises in VAT and other changes that it makes?
Gavin Brown
Con
I took that intervention for a specific reason and the minister was unable to tell us what dialogue took place. There was nothing—not even a bit of brainstor...
Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Nonsense.
Gavin Brown
Con
We hear the loyal SNP back benchers, but the point is that, because the Government could not be bothered to do a business and regulatory impact assessment, w...
Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab)
Lab
In last week’s debate on the budget, I said that rising unemployment was the signal failure of nearly four years of SNP Government. When John Swinney deliver...
Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The member mentioned Princes Street. Has he seen Princes Street in Port Glasgow, which has been decimated by the huge Tesco at the bottom of the street?
Andy Kerr
Lab
I am not sure about that part of the country, but I know that the new Sainsbury’s in Strathaven has enhanced the retail offer and the shops are surviving and...
Andy Kerr
Lab
Labour is not in a position to support this unacceptable policy, which was created by an SNP Government in crisis. As we have seen from leaked documents from...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Order.
Andy Kerr
Lab
John Hannett is the leader of the workers on whom the SNP’s tax will have the greatest impact. He said:“The proposed levy is at such a high rate that it is l...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
Greens can support two policy objectives that might be addressed in small part: revenue raising to offset the worst of the Tory cuts in Scotland, of which I ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth (John Swinney)
SNP
As I explained to Parliament when I set out the rationale for the draft budget for 2011-12, we have had to face tough decisions. The United Kingdom Governmen...
Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab)
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD)
LD
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
John Swinney
SNP
I give way to Mr McNeil first.
Duncan McNeil
Lab
How much of the £30 million tax take will go to small businesses?
John Swinney
SNP
Mr McNeil fails to understand the nature of the budget process. Interruption.
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson)
NPA
Order.
John Swinney
SNP
If we want to provide a balanced budget to the Parliament, we must be able to afford all the priorities in it. The budget contains support for the small busi...
Gavin Brown
Con
Why was a business and regulatory impact assessment not undertaken? Did the cabinet secretary intervene personally to block that?
John Swinney
SNP
I made it clear that there was no need for such an impact assessment because the proposal will affect 0.1 per cent of the business property base in Scotland,...