THE SNP plan to freeze income tax, increase spending on the NHS and build 100,000 new homes if they are elected as Scotland’s new government at the May 6 election.

At their manifesto launch yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon premiered the “optimistic and transformational” programme during a virtual launch to SNP members.

In her opening speech, Sturgeon said: “In this manifesto the SNP is setting out a serious programme for serious times. It is practical but unashamedly optimistic. And it is transformational in its ambition.

“Anyone, and any party, aspiring to govern in these times must rise to the occasion.

“They must capture a sense of possibility and build hope for a better country and a better world.

“Now is the time, in those famous words popularised by Alasdair Gray, to work as if we are indeed living in the early days of a better nation.”

She then told how the party will aim to freeze income tax rates and bands over the next five years of the parliament while increasing thresholds by a maximum of inflation, as well as removing council tax for those under 22 years of age.

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The Scottish Child Payment will be doubled to £20 per child per week and a £10 million fund will be allocated to exploring the transition to a four-day working week to allow companies to pilot the scheme and measure the benefits.

Further, as well as scrapping NHS dentist charges, the SNP will increase frontline NHS spending by 20%, worth £2.5 billion, increase investment in social care by 25% and create a new National Care Service through £800m worth of funding that would also enable them to offer a National Living Wage to care staff.

Sturgeon will today confirm that, if the SNP are re-elected, all NHS dentistry charges will be scrapped over the next parliament, starting with care experienced young people.

Removing the charges will cost around £75m, estimated to increase to £100m based on the additional uptake expected as the result of the cost being removed.

For education, the SNP are planning to invest £1bn over the next parliament to close the school attainment gap, recruit 3500 teachers and classroom assistants, as well as providing free school breakfasts and lunches for primary pupils all year round and a device with an internet connection for every child to help with schooling.

They will also fund a young person’s guarantee of a university, college, apprenticeship training place or job for every young person in Scotland.

On the economy, the party plans to invest £33bn over the next five years in infrastructure, invest £1bn in the Scottish National Investment Bank and create a £25m fund to help the tourism industry recover from the impact of the pandemic.

On the environment and battling the climate crisis, the party hopes to decarbonise the heating of one million homes by 2030 with £1.6bn investment over four years, introduce a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers next year and increase targets for woodland creation by 50%.

Green jobs will get an investment of £100m to support their creation and more opportunities on the job market.