End tax breaks for super rich to help working class families
It is an injustice that struggling families are being hit with cruel council tax debt rules that trap them in crisis for decades while billionaire landowners receive huge tax breaks, says new Scottish Green Co-leader Ross Greer in his first ever First Minister’s question.
In his first question to the First Minister, Ross said:
“Scots are trapped in almost £2 billion of Council Tax debt. Locked into poverty and living in fear of bailiffs at their door.
“Some of the families trapped in this situation spoke to Aberlour. This is what they said:
“I felt like I was stuck in a hole, and I was getting deeper into it, and I wasn’t going to be able to get out of it.”
“You worry about being seen as a bad parent. Or you worry and are upset that your kids are missing out on things or treats and stuff like that.”
"There are thousands of families like that across Scotland.
“The rules for Council Tax debt are four times as harsh here as they are in England, trapping some families with unpayable debts for decades.
“The Scottish Greens have a plan to end this scandal. Bringing our debt collection rules into line with the rest of the UK by changing the Housing Bill.
“Will the First Minister support our plan to end this cruel regime and break the cycle of poverty so many families are stuck in?”
In his answer the First Minister said he would consider Ross’s amendment.
In his second question, Ross said:
“Energy bills are sky high. The weekly shop costs double what it used to. A meal deal can be a fiver now, a jar of coffee can be £7.50.
“One in five households live payslip to payslip. They’re terrified of how they’d pay the bills if something goes wrong.
“But not everyone is having a hard time.
“The richest 2% of people now have more wealth than half the population combined.
“Billionaires should never be getting tax breaks. But they are. Some of Scotland’s richest people pay no business rates for their shooting estates.
“We’re missing out on millions of pounds for our school, libraries, and health centres. It is absolutely indefensible that some of the richest people on the planet get a 100% tax break from the Scottish Government.
“The Scottish Greens have a plan to end this injustice. So can I ask the First Minister, does he really think that billionaire-owned shooting estates need a tax break?
“Should aristocrats get blank cheques while the poorest have bailiffs at the door?”