THE TORIES have offered to back the SNP’s budget but only if Derek Mackay refuses to hike up taxes for top earners.
A spokeswoman for the Finance Secretary was less than enthusiastic on the proposals, accusing the opposition of spending more money than the Scottish Government had available, without detailing where they would make cuts.
As the SNP don’t have a majority in the Scottish Parliament they need the support of at least one of the other parties to get their budget through.
Normally, MSPs have months to negotiate and agree on the government’s spending plan, but Chancellor Sajid Javid’s decision to push back his budget from November last year because of the December election means they will have to fast-track the process.
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The Scottish Budget had originally been pencilled in for December 12, after the original November 6, however, the Finance Secretary is due to publish Scotland’s Budget on February 6, a whole month before the Chancellor is due to deliver the UK Government’s spending plans.
The Scottish Government is in an unusual position, as ministers in Edinburgh normally lay out their spending plans after the UK Budget.
In their proposals, published today, the Tories say they’ll back a budget that includes no tax increases, support for business and investment in key public services.
They claim Scotland’s economy is “being held back by the perception that we are the highest taxed part of the United Kingdom”.
They also demand a reform of business rates, and a reduction in the Large Business Supplement.
READ MORE: Scottish Budget to be published before the UK’s
Another key ask is for a review of hospital parking charges across Scotland “to assess capacity and for the development of a free car parking scheme for ’protected groups’ who need it the most, including disabled patients and parents of sick children staying overnight”.
Shadow finance secretary Murdo Fraser (above) also called for all Barnett consequentials arising from increased NHS spending in England to be passed onto the health service here.
He said that would fund more drug rehabilitation beds.
The MSP added: “We welcome the timetable put forward by the Finance Secretary for the budget process, which puts into perspective the faux outrage that he expressed at the timing of the UK Budget.
“With the spending announcements already made for areas such as health and education in England, we expect there to be substantial Barnett consequentials coming to the Scottish Government.
“That will make this the highest block grant in a decade.
“There can be no justification for additional tax rises, or further cuts to public spending, against this backdrop.”
A spokeswoman for Mackay said they were speaking “to all opposition parties ahead of the budget”.
There was, they added, “an onus on every party to act responsibly given the UK Tory Government’s disgraceful delay”.
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The spokeswoman continued: “The Tories at Holyrood are keen to suggest where more money could be spent, but fail to say what they would cut – and their spending suggestions in previous years would have seen tax cuts for the wealthiest while depriving our NHS and other key services of more than half a billion pounds a year.”
Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie (above), whose party have backed the Government in the previous two budgets, said Mackay had a clear choice.
“He can work with the Tories, as the SNP did in their first term in government, or he can stay on the progressive path the Greens have introduced, resist the toxic agenda imposed by the UK Government and work constructively with us to tackle the climate emergency head-on and build a new progressive Scotland.”
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