Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 December 2016
14 Dec 2016 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Taxation
I have no time left.
Nicola Sturgeon cannot avoid the fact that the Scottish Trades Union Congress remarked on how hugely disappointing it was to see a party that parades as a party of the left abandoning a serious opportunity to advocate progressive taxes that would make a difference.
To conclude with simplicity, this is ultimately about fairness. I pay less as a percentage of my income in tax than I did when the Tories came to power in 2010. I pay less tax now, and I come to the chamber to seek to represent people in the poorest communities who are suffering from the cuts that Murdo Fraser’s Government and party are making. The way to do that is to vote for a 50p top rate of tax.
I move amendment S5M-03063.1, to leave out from “believes” to end and insert:
“agrees that the Scottish Government should set a 50p top rate of tax for those earning over £150,000 a year so that the richest 1% pay their fair share to help stop the cuts and invest in public services.”
References in this contribution
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S5M-03063.1 Taxation Motion
In 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...