Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 June 2014
03 Jun 2014 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Air Passenger Duty
How do I follow that? I can only reflect that I must have been raised with a fundamentally different understanding of the word “evil” from Alex Johnstone. I was raised to understand that the decisions that we make collectively to provide the public services that we all depend on, the investment that we make in the future, and—I hope—our struggle towards a more sustainable economy, are profoundly to the good. Nothing could be further from the truth than to call that kind of approach “evil”.
Given that starting point, I have a great deal of sympathy for Mark Griffin’s arguments not just about whether cutting APD would be a good or bad change in aviation and transport connectivity terms, but about how it would be paid for. Labour and the Greens have reached agreement on the Government’s approach to corporation tax, and the same argument applies to APD; if the Government wishes to cut a tax, it must say whether that revenue will be replaced by revenue from other taxation or be cut from the budget.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-10185, in the name of Keith Brown, on air passenger duty. We have a wee bit of time in hand, so we will b...
The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to come to the chamber to restate the strong case that we have set out for control of air passenger duty coming to Scotland. As me...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
The minister asks for clarity. Perhaps we could have some clarity from him. Yesterday, we learned that the Scottish National Party proposes to increase benef...
Keith Brown
SNP
A request from me for clarity from the Liberal Democrats evokes a response asking for clarity about a childcare policy. Perhaps Alison McInnes could use her ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
I call Mark Griffin to speak to and move amendment S4M-010185.2. Mr Griffin, you have a generous nine minutes. 14:55
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Another day, another debate on independence. Once again, we are talking about powers and process when we could be talking about reducing poverty and inequali...
Keith Brown
SNP
Can Mark Griffin say why it was a point of principle for the Calman commission to agree that APD should be devolved? I understand that he might quibble with ...
Mark Griffin
Lab
The point of principle is that we need to take into account economic assessments and environmental assessments. I will deal with that in my speech but, from ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Mark Griffin
Lab
No, sorry. It is no surprise that the SNP wants that power over tax, since the Government is an all-centralising force in Edinburgh and never misses an oppo...
Colin Keir (Edinburgh Western) (SNP)
SNP
What are the views of Mr Griffin and the Labour Party on the York Aviation report, which showed the devastating effect that APD has on Scottish airports, and...
Mark Griffin
Lab
The Government has failed to have any assessment of the policy before introducing it. With regard to the papers that the member mentioned, I agree that there...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Mark Griffin
Lab
What is progressive about a tax cut to big business of £135 million through the reduction of air passenger duty, on top of the £385 million that would be giv...
Chic Brodie
SNP
Will the member give way?
Mark Griffin
Lab
Let us look at the detail of the proposal. The Scottish Government has said that the costs of reducing APD could be offset by increased VAT receipts as a res...
Chic Brodie
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
The member has made it clear that he is not taking an intervention, Mr Brodie.
Mark Griffin
Lab
That is not to say that we are opposed to the reform of air passenger duty. However, during any such considerations, the full implications of any reform shou...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I start from a position of enormous advantage in the debate, because I was brought up to believe that all tax is evil. My experience of a career in politics ...
Colin Keir
SNP
Given that Mr Johnstone is a fine, dyed-in-the-wool Tory, does he not agree—based on his own political judgment in the past and so on—that the change of owne...
Alex Johnstone
Con
There we go. There is an example of a positive contribution being made from outside Scotland. Let us now look at what we are saying about the tax, what it w...
Chic Brodie
SNP
Why is it okay to give Northern Ireland powers to reduce APD, but not Scotland?
Alex Johnstone
Con
The irony of Chic Brodie’s position is that he takes the place of the unionist: the man who looks from the centre and believes that everything should be equa...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Gosh!
Alex Johnstone
Con
I move amendment S4M-10185.1, to leave out from “with concern” to end and insert: “the recent changes announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which si...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You have six minutes, or thereby, Mr Harvie. 15:12
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
How do I follow that? I can only reflect that I must have been raised with a fundamentally different understanding of the word “evil” from Alex Johnstone. I ...
Chic Brodie
SNP
This is the question that I wanted to ask Mr Griffin. The Netherlands got rid of APD because although it was raising €250 million, the country was losing €75...
Patrick Harvie
Green
If we stop raising a tax, less income will come to the public budget, so cuts will be have to made somewhere. To answer the question of whether cutting, or ...