SNP candidate for the Western Isles, Alasdair Allan, has set out the benefits of what he believes is the fairer tax deal on offer to the people of the Western Isles at this election from an incoming SNP Government.
Alasdair Allan said: “The new tax powers which will become available to Scotland after the election are far from the powers we would like Scotland to have in the future. But an SNP government will use them sensibly to help create prosperity in the islands, and mitigate some of the worst effects of the cuts which the UK Government continues to make to Scotland’s budget and the public services that rely on it.
"What an SNP government will not do is tax the poorest more. That, incredibly, seems to be the policy of Labour in this election as they propose a tax hike on the 13,000 basic rate taxpayers we have across the Western Isles. They have now had to admit that they have no meaningful way of protecting people on incomes as low as £11,000 from the impact of their proposed penny on the basic rate of tax.
"Instead an SNP Government will forego the tax cuts which George Osborne is making to the richest 10% of tax payers. We believe that, at a time when public services are being cut back by the Tories, tax breaks for the best off cannot be a priority.
"By blocking the Tories’ giveaway to higher earners we will raise an additional £1.2 billion over the course of the next Parliament. This is revenue that can be invested in our schools and hospitals, and to support the additional benefits available for taxpayers in Scotland like free personal care, free education and free prescriptions."
Allan says tax policy "fairer for islands"
8 April 2016