GREENS AND SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT BACK “INSPIRATIONAL CLIMATE PROJECTS”
Posted on March 27, 2008
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“We believe Scotland is brimming with good ideas on how to beat climate change, and this fund will help local communities make their ideas a reality. Moving towards a low carbon economy brings opportunities for high skill jobs and improved quality of life, as well as ensuring Scotland plays its part internationally.
“I welcome the Scottish Government’s decision to work with the Greens and to deliver this fund. Putting £8.8m this year alone into low carbon projects across Scotland is an excellent start. Each community this fund supports will be a beacon to inspire others and give them the confidence to come forward with their own ideas.”
Notes
1. See http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7219798.stm
GO APE – LATEST DISMAL DECISION FROM GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL
Posted on March 25, 2008Glasgow City Council has approved the controversial ‘Go Ape’ development in the middle of Pollok Park. This money-spinning proposal for the Council, to be built in the middle of one of Scotland’s finest public parks, has sparked strong public opposition following a sham consultation exercise. Thousands of people have objected, attended public meetings, or signed the petition to protect the park.
It’s sad to say, but this decision is no real surprise. Glasgow City Council has an abysmal track record in protecting its parks and green spaces, but this time they have outdone themselves. ‘Go Ape’ may be a fun facility in the right place, but the overwhelming public view is that the jewel in the crown of Glasgow’s public parks is completely the wrong place. The strength of local people’s anger about this proposal is clear, but the Labour council in Glasgow is determined to ignore the public mood yet again.
They have permitted attacks on green spaces large and small, and they have earned the resentment of people throughout the city. This time they have picked on one of the most tranquil spots in the whole of Glasgow, and there is no way that the Scottish Government should permit this vandalism. I will be making urgent representations to Ministers to call in this outrageous decision, and to overturn it.
To read more, visit www.savepollokpark.com
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT INITIATIVE – MINISTERS APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO IRONY
Posted on March 17, 2008Today’s announcement by Scottish Ministers of £15m in support for “sustainable travel demonstration communities” is a drop in the ocean compared to Ministerial commitments to climate-busting roads projects, Greens noted. (1)Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The SNP are keen to appear green, as this initiative shows. However, they cannot “offset” their decisions to spend several billion pounds on new bridges and motorways with a mere £15m in support for community projects. (2) Either this is pure cynical spin, or SNP Ministers, like their Labour and Liberal Democrat predecessors, are genuinely oblivious to the glaring ironies of their transport policies.
“If the M74 Extension and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral go ahead, two of Scotland’s biggest cities will effectively become “unsustainable travel demonstration communities”, perfect illustrations of all that’s wrong and outdated about the SNP’s thinking on transport.”
Notes
1. See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/03/17083340
2. Second Forth Crossing: £4.2bn. M74 Northern Extension: £445m. AWPR: up to £395m.
Local “income” tax isn’t what it seems.
Posted on March 11, 2008So the SNP have published their consultation on replacing Council Tax with a salary tax – one of the major planks of their election manifesto. With Holyrood precisely split on the issue (SNP and Liberals favour one version or another of this idea, while Labour and the Conservatives want to reform Council Tax) the phones have been ringing in the Green office, with many in the press pack keen to know which way we will jump.
Unfortunately for both sides, we’re busy calling a plague on both their houses. Our own policy of Land Value Tax is long held, and I don’t expect to see Green Party members clamouring to ditch it.
But to answer those who claim that an income-based tax is inherently fairer, I though it was worth putting a few remarks on the record.
So why don’t I support the “local income tax”?
It isn’t an income tax. It’s a salary tax. Because other forms of income won’t be covered, the wealthiest people in society will find it very simply to avoid paying, by shifting their wealth into property. Since those at the top will end up paying nothing, a whopping great chunk of the tax will fall on the shoulders of people on more average incomes. So this is a proposal to replace one unfair tax with another.
It’s inflationary. Removing the property element of taxation (Council Tax being property-based) will be bad enough, but when you add in the factor above, with wealthy people spending more money on property for ‘investment’ purposes, those trying to get their first foot on the property ladder will find it even harder than at present. Not that home ownership should be seen as the only legitimate aspiration – I’m a big supporter of social rented housing. But it is a goal for most people, and we shouldn’t pursue policies which make it so much harder to achieve.
It’ll be an administrative nightmare. If it’s set at a national level, Ministers will fall into regular battles with local government about how much tax will be raised, and voters will find it impossible to hold local government accountable for the quality of local services. If it’s set locally, employers will have to deal with all sorts of different tax rates, and people will find themselves receiving big differences in pay from the person working next to them, just because they live across a council boundary. 32 different income tax rates for a small country like Scotland simply makes no sense.
…and that’s even before we resolve our differences with Westminster. It’s not just the well-reported issue of Council Tax benefits – there’s also the collection machinery. Revenue and Customs are answerable to UK Ministers, and setting up an alternative would be prohibitively expensive.
But isn’t the Council Tax unpopular?
Of course it is. It’s a tax! Rates were unpopular. Poll Tax was wildly unpopular. Council Tax is unpopular. You can bet your bottom Euro that as soon as people actually start seeing that 15% hike in their income tax, this will be unpopular too. It would be a real mistake to keep rethinking local government finance in the deluded belief that tax will suddenly become everyone’s favourite thing in life. It won’t, and there’s no point kidding ourselves that it will.
But isn’t Council Tax unfair? Surely that’s the bottom line!
Yes. Unequivocally yes. Looked at in isolation Council Tax is unfair. That’s because we shouldn’t look at it in isolation, but as part of a taxation mix. Most of the tax individuals pay is already in the form of income tax, and many of the people expecting to be better off will still pay income tax under the new proposals (around half of Scotland’s pensioners for example).
What we should do about an unfair tax is make it fairer, not replace it with something else unfair! Making Council Tax benefit and rebate automatic would help, so that people don’t feel they have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to avoid being landed with a bill they can’t pay.
There’s more we can and should do to stop Council Tax hitting hardest on the people on low incomes – but this would be necessary whatever kind of tax we use. At the end of the day, local services must be paid for, and that means some form of tax. Reform must remain on the agenda, but replacing one bad scheme with another is not a step forward.
Mind you, try making that point in the SNP’s consultation – you’ll find the silly tick-box questionnaire doesn’t make much room for reasoned criticism.
SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS – GREEN RESPONSE TO ALLOWANCES REVIEW
Posted onResponding to today’s review of MSPs’ parliamentary allowances, the
Green MSPs identified significant problems with Sir Alan Langlands’
proposals, and called for an urgent meeting with the Presiding
Officer. The Greens are the only party not currently represented on
the SPCB, which commissioned the report. (1)
The Greens welcome the end of taxpayers’ support for MSPs’ mortgages,
but point out that other cost-saving opportunities were missed in this
area. Furthermore, the proposals to set a lower value for the work of
regional MSPs and their staff should be rejected, Greens argue, as
being divisive and anti-democratic. Finally, if apparently innocuous
proposals to divide allowances into arbitrary subsections are
accepted, Members will have fewer options to cut costs, and will also
be likely to have to let hard-working staff go.
Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The proposal to end MSPs’ ability to make personal profit from the
accommodation allowance is the right move, and will be welcomed. But
the rest of the report contains very bad news for MSPs who actually
want to reduce their costs. Members who currently have to use hotels
when they stay in Edinburgh should be able to save money by renting a
room, but this will still not be allowed.
“Furthermore, the Green MSPs have, like Members from other parties,
made efforts to save office costs in order to pay our staff a decent
salary. If this report is accepted we will be prevented from doing so
- separate caps on staffing and office costs mean that the incentive
to cut costs will simply disappear, and we will be faced with a choice
between underpaying staff or overworking them.
“The decision to pay staff of constituency Members substantially more
than their regional counterparts is particularly insulting. Staff
working for regional Members cover a far wider area, but this review
seems to suggest that they are “worth” £17,000 less. This will
seriously undermine regional Members’ ability to serve their
constituents, and suggests that the review team has fallen for the
divisive and anti-democratic spin that says regional MSPs are inferior
to constituency MSPs.
“These are serious concerns, and I will raise them at the earliest
opportunity with the Presiding Officer.”
Notes
1. See http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/spcb/index.htm
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