Meeting of the Parliament 13 June 2024
It just goes on and on, and, as my colleague has just reminded me, it is a broken record. It will not wash with the public, because it is not correct.
Our public services are a vital cog in the wheel of a more prosperous society, but it is not enough to throw more and more money at them, because history shows that doing so does not improve them. We need a restructured economy and a new tax structure—I am glad to hear that the cabinet secretary is making some progress with her commission; we need to ensure that Scotland is the best place for economic innovation and entrepreneurship; and we need to remove the barriers that businesses persistently claim are holding them back. I finish my remarks on that. Can we raise the game in the things that we can do to make Scotland a first-class economy in which to invest?
I move amendment S6M-13602.1, to leave out from “acknowledges” to end and insert:
“notes that, in so many areas of devolved public services in Scotland such as education, health, local government, housing and justice, there has been a marked deterioration in the services provided over the last 17 years; acknowledges that Scotland is now the most highly taxed part of the UK and that people are paying more yet getting less from their public services; is concerned that, despite the Scottish Government receiving a record block grant, the failure of the New Deal for Business and the Scottish Government’s lack of emphasis on economic growth have contributed to a very challenging fiscal environment, and calls on the Scottish Government to put in place economic policies that will reform the public sector, improve skills and training, reduce the tax burden and foster new investment and growth opportunities across the economy.”
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