Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 December 2016
14 Dec 2016 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Taxation
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, the shadow chancellor—heroes of Mr Findlay—support the increase in the threshold that has been proposed by the chancellor, Philip Hammond. It seems to be the case that Scottish Labour’s criticism of Jeremy Corbyn is that he is too right wing. If he were more left wing, he would fit better into Mr Findlay’s world.
The finance secretary has 24 hours before he delivers his budget. He has 24 hours to think again. If he wants Scotland to succeed, if he wants our economy to grow and to prosper and if he wants to raise the money that we all want to fund our vital public services, we need a Scotland that is competitive within the United Kingdom and we need to be clear that Scottish families and businesses are not taxed more than they would be in the rest of the United Kingdom. That is the point that is made in our motion, which I have pleasure in moving.
I move,
That the Parliament believes that families and businesses in Scotland should not be taxed more than those elsewhere in the UK.
14:54In the same item of business
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...