THE Scottish Greens could yet enter negotiations with Finance Secretary Derek Mackay on his Budget plans, a senior MSP has said.
Andy Wightman, the Scottish Greens MSP, said it was possible that “meaningful progress”could be made by the SNP administration towards his party’s demand for local tax reform ahead of tomorrow’s Budget or over the course of the rest of the month.
The SNP governs as a minority administration and needs the support of another party to get its Budget voted through Holyrood.
The Greens six MSPs backed the SNP Government’s proposals in the last two years in return for more funding being given to local government.
But earlier this year the party’s co-convener Patrick Harvie said it was the last time the party would back the Budget during the current parliamentary term unless the Scottish Government made “meaningful progress” on fundamental reform.
In October the Scottish Greens conference passed a motion committing the party not to enter Budget negotiations with the Scottish Government unless it indicated an intention to move towards a fundamental shake up of how councils raise their revenue.
Wightman told The National that his party was seeking “meaningful progress” on a “menu” of measures to reform local government tax as a condition for entering Budget negotiations.
Among the changes they want to see are a commitment to scrap the council tax and replace it with what the Greens see as a fairer tax, broadening local fiscal powers to include taxes such as a tourism tax and derelict land tax, and introducing a fiscal framework to determine long term rules about how local government is funded.
A move towards reforming non domestic rates allowing councils to set the rate (currently set by Holyrood) is also among the package of reforms the Scottish Greens want.
“Any agreement on meaningful progress could incorporate elements [of the package] that could be taken forward,” said Wightman.
“Reform of non domestic rates could be one thing. We could have other things and not that and still enter talks. It’s still possible we could achieve meaningful progress in the next two days. It’s still possible we could achieve it in the next months.”
He added: “None of what we are asking for in relation to meaningful progress are things that can actually get delivered in the Budget. We are talking about commitments for the future.”
The Greens believe councils should have far greater fiscal autonomy to strengthen local democracy and enable local government to govern with appropriate powers over their budget. They want to see local authorities able to raise about 50% of their revenue through local taxes, up from about 20% currently. They believe the council tax disproportionately hits poorer households with people in the lower band paying a higher proportion of their property value than in tax than people at the top.
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