Scotland needs a mansion tax
The upcoming Scottish Budget should include a mansion tax to raise millions for schools and care services, says Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer.
The party co-leader has consistently called on the Scottish Government to introduce a ‘mansion tax’ by raising council tax on the most expensive properties in F, G and H bands.
If this tax is included in the upcoming Budget, it would raise over £125 million per year for local services including schools, social care, leisure centres and road maintenance.
Ross said:
“What good are our public services if they don’t actually meet the public’s needs?
“Families with elderly or disabled members are being failed because they can’t get the right care packages. Teachers and pupils alike are in need of more support in school, with an almost total lack of specialist staff for children with additional support needs. And every year communities are forced to fight to save their local libraries and leisure centres from closure.
“But despite the struggles everyone else is facing, the wealthiest people in Scotland are just getting richer.
“The Chancellor’s English ‘Mansion Tax’ is overcomplicated and won’t actually raise much money, but it is at least an attempt to fund public services by taxing the wealthy few. In Scotland we could deliver something far more effective though, a real Mansion Tax to fund the essential services we all rely on.
“I am calling once again on the Scottish Government to introduce the Scottish Greens’ Mansion Tax proposal. The money it raises would give our communities the support and care they deserve.”