Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh) NPA

The next item is a debate on motion S5M-03063, in the name of Murdo Fraser, on taxation. 14:40

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

Tomorrow, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution will deliver an historic budget. It will be historic not just because it will be the first b...

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

Murdo Fraser talks about gaps. Does he accept that we are talking about two separate things: the economy and taxation? Is he not concerned about the gap betw...

Murdo Fraser Con

There is a certain irony in that intervention from John Mason. During the independence referendum, Mr Mason and I did perhaps 30 debates around the country w...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green

I am grateful to Murdo Fraser for giving way to someone who never endorsed what was in the SNP’s white paper. The UK Government has just made tax changes to...

Murdo Fraser Con

Mr Harvie is being ungenerous. He will know well that the measures that are being taken by the UK Government to more than double the threshold for income tax...

Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

Will Mr Fraser take an intervention?

Murdo Fraser Con

No. I need to make some progress. I will give way later, if I have time. Let us look ahead to the Scottish Government’s budget. Roughly half the total funds...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

Will Murdo Fraser take an intervention?

Murdo Fraser Con

I have not taken an intervention from the Liberal Democrats yet, so I will give way.

Willie Rennie LD

Murdo Fraser seems to have ignored the real benefit of boosting skills in Scottish society in order to boost the economy. He seems to think that tax is the o...

Murdo Fraser Con

I am so disappointed in Willie Rennie’s approach to the debate. I remember those heady days when Tavish Scott led the Liberal Democrats and Mike Rumbles went...

Neil Findlay Lab

Will Murdo Fraser take an intervention?

Murdo Fraser Con

I have not taken a Labour intervention, so I happily give way to Mr Findlay.

Neil Findlay Lab

If Murdo Fraser genuinely believes what he is saying, a way to spread the wealth would be to have more people with high-paid jobs to pay the higher taxes. Wh...

Murdo Fraser Con

I am so disappointed in Neil Findlay’s intervention. I have been following the debate at Westminster very closely. Even Jeremy Corbyn, and John McDonnell, th...

The Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP

As my colleague the finance secretary has made clear previously in this chamber, the Scottish Government will confirm its tax proposals in its draft budget, ...

Willie Rennie LD

The minister is rightly parading the new powers that are coming to the Scottish Parliament, but why is his Government increasing the unfair council tax that ...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I will turn to council tax later, and I hope that Willie Rennie will pick up on those points. Income tax alone will account for the funding of more than a t...

Murdo Fraser Con

Will the minister give way?

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I am running short of time, but if the Presiding Officer allows some time for interventions, that will be gratefully received.

Murdo Fraser Con

I am very grateful to the minister for giving way. Does the minister agree with the basic proposition that has been set out by the former First Minister, Al...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I am trying to set out our understanding of that very point. By using the package of tax and revenues across the Scottish economy, we can have a more competi...

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab) Lab

Will the minister take an intervention?

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I am struggling for time now. I ask the member to be brief, please.

Jackie Baillie Lab

I will be very brief. Will the minister reflect on the very first recommendation of the commission that he referred to, which was to abolish the council tax?

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Our reforms will protect household incomes, make local taxation fairer and ensure that local authorities continue to be properly funded, as I said. After tho...

Patrick Harvie Green

Will the minister take an intervention?

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I am sorry, but I am in the last moments of my speech. Other parties will no doubt take a different view on how those tax powers can be used. Although we r...

Kezia Dugdale (Lothian) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the opportunity to talk about tax this afternoon. I thank the Tories for bringing the debate to the chamber. I also thank them for the simplicity o...