Meeting of the Parliament 27 November 2025
Not just now.
The Scottish Government abolished that kind of tax on the Erskine bridge, the Forth road bridge and the Skye road bridge. By proposing to introduce a tax on the people of Glasgow, the SNP has, yet again, shown its contempt for them. However, that type of skulduggery is normal for the SNP administration led by Susan Aitken.
There has been mention of the crown jewels represented by Glasgow’s iconic buildings. The SNP has mortgaged them all. It has hocked the lot of them, including the city chambers. As if that is not enough, it wants to introduce a tax on vehicles entering the city boundary, which would apply to those based outside the city. It is not a viable solution to congestion, and it victimises the people of Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.
There are dozens of side roads that cross the city boundary, so it will cost tens of millions to implement the charge, never mind run it. That is a harsh penalty on the majority of common working people who travel to work in the mornings. It is an expense that will be absorbed by hard-pressed families, because the public transport alternative is not reliable or adequate enough. Ultimately, it will be a quick cash grab—a supertax at the expense of businesses, employers and road users in general. It will affect jobs and local businesses, because people will avoid Glasgow. If the council would like to increase the use of public transport and have fewer people driving into the city, the only route forward would be to make public transport more frequent, reliable, better and faster.
13:09