SNP promises 500,000 OAPs will be exempt from local tax

azzuri · SNP promises 500,000 OAPs will be exempt from local tax

SNP promises 500,000 OAPs will be exempt from local tax

MORE than 500,000 pensioners would be exempt from paying a local income tax introduced by an SNP government, the party was expected to announce today.

SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon will pledge that senior citizens who are exempt from paying income tax will not have to pay the new charge - which would replace the council tax should the SNP win power.

She will also attack age discrimination and unveil proposals to improve the delivery of free personal care when she meets pensioner groups and elderly care organisations later today.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ms Sturgeon said: "Currently, 19 per cent of the basic state pension goes on council tax. In Glasgow, with the highest council tax rates in Scotland, it is almost 21 per cent. That is simply too big a burden for pensioners to bear.

"That is why the SNP will abolish the unfair council tax and replace it with a local income tax based on the ability to pay.

"Under the SNP proposals the 538,000 pensioners who pay no income tax will have the council tax abolished and will pay no local income tax either."

She insisted that under a Nationalist government the system would be free from bureaucracy.

She added: "There will be no ifs or buts, no means tests - they will simply have nothing to pay.

"Indeed, with a local income tax the vast majority - approximately 90 per cent - of pensioners in Scotland will pay nothing or less than they do now.

"The abolition of the unfair council tax will put money back in the purses and wallets of pensioners across Scotland. And it will do so without subjecting our old folk to bureaucratic means tests which they find demeaning."

see - http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1197992006

SLG

I don't know how anyone can continue to support the present council tax system.

Reluctant Hero

Is it just my imagination or did the SSP not try and launch this last year or the year before and at the time no one supported it?

IF Convenor

It's your imagination.

The SNP has had a local income tax policy for several years.

The SSP wants to introduce a centrally-controlled Scotland-wide income tax to pay for council services. In other words, local councillors would become completely unaccountable for their budgets and the smart ones will spend as much as they possibly can. That way they'll get the biggest possible slice of the central pot and maybe buy themselves a few votes along the way. The SSP "Scottish Service Tax" has little to do with funding local government and a great deal to do with punishing the rich for having the nerve to have more than the average SSP supporter.

All SSP financial policies can be summed up in three words; "get Brian Souter". The SSP hates the Stagecoach boss and will do anything to get its hands on his money and "redistribute" it. Whenever they come up with a new loony policy they always illustrate how it will affect the ordinary punter and how it will affect the fat cat. They always use Brian Souter as the illustrative fat cat. The fat cat always gets screwed and yet, as if by magic, he always stays around to get screwed some more when the next piece of fantasy economics comes along. Brian Souter has been stripped of his assets so many times in the fevered minds of the SSP it's a wonder he doesn't get arrested for exposing himself in public.

George

skip

I can't believe the cold response from the spokesperson of Age Concern Scotland in the other part of this story....

Reluctant Hero

IF Convenor

What I said is that the SNP policy is a local income tax. The SSP policy is a national income tax with all sorts of banding to ensure it is heavily weighted against anyone with more money than the national average, with rates set by a central body and funds distributed from the centre to councils.

The SSP policy means that councillors will have no responsibility for raising the money they spend, and it is clearly designed to punish anyone with a bit of spare cash. If it ever comes about you can expect massive waste by councils while large numbers of professionals and businessmen leave the country.

Reluctant Hero

The cost and sheer administrative nightmare of running a local income tax would far out-weigh any potential benefits that it may have.

We are one country, so should we not look after the country as a whole instead of looking after our own little corner.

Sure councils will not be responsible for raising their own money, but they should be held responsible for what they spend.

The SSP policy was drawn up in conjunction with two economists from Paisley University and showed that 77% of households would be better off, whilst 7% would remain no better or no worse off.

Considering that 20% of people own 80% of the wealth, this seems pretty fair to me.

IF Convenor

OK, so I am to be taxed in Aberdeenshire to pay for services in Glasgow and Edinburgh, services I will never use. What, exactly, is fair about that?

Local income tax works well in many places. I don't see why it should be an administrative nightmare in Scotland when it works elsewhere.

If my local councillors are to be charged with spending money but not raising it, and I'm going to get screwed for the services tax anyway, I'm going to vote for the ones who will promise to extract the maximum amount from the central pot for my benefit. The biggest spenders will get elected and our service taxes will go up and up. It's like the Scottish Parliament now, not fiscally accountable so it just spends and spends.

Your seemingly fair figures are based on today's Council Tax levels. The Service Tax will be much higher because it is practically guaranteed to reward the biggest spenders. We'll all end up paying for that and once "the rich" have been taxed into poverty or emigration the burden will fall on you. Still think it's fair?

Babygael

What about the others?? A token I guess is better than none! Being treated like underlings by the engerlish has GOT to be despised by any self respecting Scot. A Government that uplifts the vunerable in society who can find?

Life is like a relay race, , you are only as fast as your weakest link.This is where a Government needs to revolutionise by its forward and visionary thinking and thus actions.Strengthen the arm of that weak link by means decided by the visionairies of our day! (??)

Blackadder

And just who are the visionaries of our day??