THE SNP have said "Scotland must get every penny it is due" from the increase in National Insurance – as polling shows the majority of Scots oppose the Tory tax hike.
Polling by YouGov, conducted on September 7, shows a majority (58%) of Scots "oppose" the National Insurance rise while 61% think it is "unfair".
More than two-thirds (70%) think it is "unacceptable" for Boris Johnson to break the Tory manifesto pledge.
Separately, polling by Opinium, conducted on September 7 and 8, shows 47% of Scots oppose the National Insurance rise compared to 30% who support it. Two-thirds (66%) believe it is "unfair" and a third (33%) think it is "fair".
READ MORE: National insurance hike: Scottish Tory MPs back tax rise
It comes as the overwhelming majority of Scotland's MPs voted against the move last night, with the exception of the six Scottish Tory MPs. They voted in favour of the Prime Minister's tax hike despite other Tory MPs in England voting against or abstaining.
Commenting, SNP shadow chancellor Alison Thewliss MP said: "Boris Johnson's regressive Tory tax hike will penalise Scottish families, low and middle income workers, and the young – forcing the poorest in society to subsidise the wealthiest.
"Everyone supports more money for our NHS and social care but it would have been far better to do this in a progressive way that fairly reflects wealth. Instead, this Tory poll tax will penalise people like care workers, while millionaires with unearned wealth will contribute nothing.
"Now that millions of Scottish workers will be forced to pay this Tory charge, it is essential that Scotland gets every penny it is due. There must be no attempts by the UK Government to sell Scotland short by reducing funds in other areas or failing to pass on the full amount.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross told to 'grow a backbone' and stand up to Boris Johnson
"The Chancellor must also take steps to address the unfairness of this regressive tax hike, which will make low and middle income workers hundreds of pounds worse off every year at the same time that the Tory government slashes Universal Credit by £1040 for 400,000 Scottish families.
"After a decade of Tory cuts, the UK now has the worst levels of poverty and inequality of any country in north west Europe - and under Boris Johnson in-work poverty has risen to a record high this century. Another round of Tory austerity will make this growing problem even worse.
"It's increasingly clear that the Tories have no intention of building a fair recovery post-covid. The only way to keep Scotland safe from Tory cuts is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to build a strong, fair and equal recovery."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel