Scottish Labour plans would mean further public service cuts
Anas Sarwar has today raised the spectre of further cuts to public services in Scotland to pay for income tax cuts, in addition to UK Labour policies that the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned will create an £18 billion black hole in public finances.
Lorna Slater, co-Leader of the Scottish Greens, said: “Progressive changes to income tax in Scotland secured by the Scottish Greens mean that most workers pay less tax, while those on higher incomes pay a bit more.
“Those changes have resulted in an extra £1.5 billion a year for public services like the Scottish NHS. Anas Sarwar’s failure to back this vital policy, and his suggestion that he would prioritise tax cuts, would be catastrophic for our hospitals, schools and other public services that desperately need these funds.
“This would be super charged austerity, layering further public spending cuts onto the £18 billion Labour have locked in UK-wide. Scottish Labour needs to be clear with the people of Scotland. If they want to spend public money on tax cuts for higher earners, what will they cut? Teachers? Nurses? Free school meals?
“It tells us everything we need to know that Labour say they can find money for tax cuts but not to scrap the brutal two-child cap or to undo the pain of 14 years of Tory rule.
“The last thing Scotland needs is Liz Truss-style unfunded tax cuts and more public service cuts, but that’s what Scottish Labour appear to be offering in this manifesto.”
