CONTEMPORARY LESSONS OF POLL TAX TWENTY YEARS ON.

CONTEMPORARY LESSONS OF POLL TAX TWENTY YEARS ON.

Commenting on the twentieth anniversary of the Poll Tax SNP MP, Mike Weir, reflected on the legacy of the controversial Conservative policy, and highlighted contemporary issues in relation to the case for full economic powers for the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Weir, the MP for Angus, said:

“The Poll Tax was foisted on an unwilling Scottish population by a Tory Government with no democratic mandate in Scotland.

“The imposition of the Poll Tax transformed the case for a Scottish Parliament from a good idea into an absolutely necessary one, so that never again could such a democratic outrage be perpetrated on the people of Scotland.

“In the same way, being dragged into an illegal war in Iraq by a Labour Government in London, Westminster demonstrated the case for the Scottish Parliament to have the full powers of independence. More than ever Scotland needs the need for economic and financial powers so that we can take action to recover from recession.”