Labour’s Tax Double Whammy

The SNP have today revealed that Labour are planning a tax double whammy with more and higher taxes if they are elected to Holyrood next year.

An internal Labour policy document says the Labour party support a “basket of taxes” to keep revenues up. The document also includes a wish list of uncosted spending commitments.

The report of Labour’s Scottish Policy Forum states on page 23:

“Scottish Labour believe that the fairest approach is to have a basket of taxes”

In addition Iain Gray has previously said that council tax should increase, that local authorities should have flexibility to set their own taxes and Labour peer Lord Foulkes has argued for the 3p “tartan tax” to be used.

Two weeks after she first called on Iain Gray to come clean about his tax plans, SNP Depute Leader Nicola Sturgeon has today called on Labour to reveal these new taxes and how much they plan on making from them.

Challenging Iain Gray she said:

“This is a tax bombshell from Labour. Iain Gray is planning to hit Scottish households with a tax double whammy if they get back into office.

“We already know that Iain Gray is on record calling for the Council Tax to go up. Now he wants new taxes as well as higher taxes to pay for their uncosted policy wish list.

“The SNP wants to protect family incomes. Labour want to hit hard pressed Scottish families, forcing them to pay for the public finance mess Labour created.

“Iain Gray owes the public a clear explanation. What new taxes does he want in his basket and how much does he plan on raising with them?

“What is increasingly clear is that Labour simply want to hit taxpayers for more money to get them out of the economic mess they created.”