Now SNP-Green alliance plots council tax raid

1 Feb 2018

Nicola Sturgeon has refused to rule out the prospect of future tax hikes – this time in the form of a Green-inspired council tax raid.

At First Minister’s Questions today, Ruth Davidson asked whether or not such increases were on the horizon in exchange for the Green Party helping through Scottish budgets.

The Scottish Conservative leader highlighted a statement made by Green “co-convener” Patrick Harvie yesterday, in which he said he wanted “meaningful progress on local tax reform”.

Translated, Ruth said, this meant the Greens were setting the scene for increases in council tax for hundreds of thousands of Scots.

And at today’s exchange, Mr Harvie himself again stressed he wanted to see more action from the SNP government in hiking the amount paid by taxpayers into local government finances.

But instead of rejecting the idea, Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Conservatives were on the “wrong side of public opinion” on hiking tax.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:

“The Greens got the SNP’s budget through last year, and they got it through this year.

“Patrick Harvie has made it pretty clear his price for next year’s budget will be hiking up council tax.

“Nicola Sturgeon had ample opportunity to rule this out, but refused.

“That will set alarm bells ringing in the homes of thousands of families right across the country.

“People in Scotland are already being charged more tax to buy a home, and more tax on their income.

“They should not have to accept the SNP-Green alliance raiding their council tax too.”