23 Nov 2017
The Scottish Government has confirmed it will spend £250,000 on a citizens’ income pilot scheme.
The move has been criticised by shadow social security secretary Adam Tomkins, who said the SNP was wasting taxpayers’ money on something it already knew wouldn’t be feasible.
The funding was confirmed in a letter to MSPs, and will see councils being handed the cash to give out over the next two years.
Ministers have pressed ahead with the trial scheme even though Scottish Government advisers have told them it would cost more than £12 billion a year.
The advice also stated all taxpayers would have to cough up a 50 per cent rate, while gender stereotyping would be further entrenched.
Despite that, social security secretary Angela Constance said in a letter to a Holyrood committee: “I have written to the chief executives of the four pilot authorities announcing that a fund of £250,000 is available for them to bid into, covering a two-year period from April 2018 to March 2020.”
Scottish Conservative shadow social security secretary Adam Tomkins said:
“This is confirmation of the SNP spending £250,000 of taxpayers’ money on something it knows it will never do.
“That’s a shameless waste of cash, and the nationalists should reconsider this pointless pilot.
“It doesn’t take long to conclude just how costly and counter-productive a citizens’ income would be.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s own adviser has already informed her this would cost more than £12 billion a year and see all taxpayers cough up a 50 per cent rate.
“This is a token effort to appease extreme elements of Scottish politics like the Greens, and that is not a good use of public money.”
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