POLITICAL BACKTRACKING ON SCOTTISH TAX CUT POLICY.

POLITICAL BACKTRACKING ON SCOTTISH TAX CUT POLICY.

Following today's publication of the Finance Committee's report into the Scottish Government's budget which saw the committee give general backing to the budget proposals, SNP MSP Alex Neil said the failure of the LibDems to put forward their supposed policy of a 2p cut in income tax indicated that they were backtracking on the policy because it would result in £800 million in cuts to public services.

In September the LibDem leader Tavish Scott announced that the LibDems would adopt a policy of cutting the basic rate of income tax in Scotland by 2p regardless of the fact that this would lead to deep cuts in Scottish public spending of £800 million – public spending cuts they could not identify.

Commenting Mr Neil said:

"The failure of the LibDems to put forward any proposal to the Finance Committee to implement their 2p tax cut indicates they are backtracking on this policy.

"The LibDems had the opportunity to put forward their plans for a tax cut and they failed.

"This tax-cut plan was already exposed as ill-thought out when Tavish Scott underestimated the cost by £400 million and could not say where he was going to find the £800 million of cuts to public services.

"The fact they made no attempt to say what services they would cut exposes this 'tax cut' policy as just a publicity gimmick and not a real proposal."