Sir, – In 2004 John Swinney said he would axe the council tax.
In 2007 NicolaSturgeon said the “hated” council tax was beyond reform.
In 2007 and 2011 Alex Salmond said in the SNP’s manifestos he would scrap the council tax.
After nine years ingovernment, five of them with a commanding majority, NicolaSturgeon has decided to keep the council tax with minor modifications.
The council tax will remain regressive, but a system of means-tested benefits and increases in the higher bands will make it slightly less unfair.
These changes introduce many anomalies.
Kezia Dugdale has said that as she earns £60,000 and lives in a Band D property she will pay nothing extra, but is willing to do so.
Conversely, a hardworking family living on just above average income in a Band Eproperty will see their council tax increase by more than £100 per year.
These changes will raise an extra£100 million next year.
That is great, but looks a little insubstantialcompared to the £400m of cuts forced on councils by the SNP.
What the SNP isoffering is not nearly enough to deliver the transformation in public services Scotland needs. It will simply helpmanage the decline.
As ever, the SNP are trying to perpetuate the myth that we can have more teachers and less potholes by timidlytinkering with ourrevenue raising powers.
Dr Scott Arthur. 27 Buckstone Gardens, Edinburgh.
Populist move from Sturgeon
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon had the opportunity to be radical in revising Scotland’s council tax system but, with an eye on May’s elections, chose to tinker around the edges.
Rather than link local taxation to income tax and ability to pay, she crudely increases higher rate council tax bands, directly targeting families in areas such asAberdeen, Edinburgh, East Lothian andGlasgow’s leafycommuter towns and suburbs, already hit by disproportionately high levels of Land and Buildings Transcation Tax.
Ms Sturgeon knows SNP support is weaker in these communities than the nationalist heartlands of inner cityGlasgow and Dundee and even weaker for independence.
The nationalist leader has made certain her council tax changes won’t lose her votes.
Then Ms Sturgeon leaves local authorities to dispense additional up to 3% across-the-board increases – so next April they’ll be perceived as the villains by SNPsupporters.
Again Ms Sturgeon looks to the election by promising the £100m extra tax generated will go on education.
A populist sentiment but will we ever really see direct evidence of this money being spent on reversing the damage done by the SNP to our children’s literacy and numeracy rates?
Ms Sturgeon’s tax changes aren’t designed to be progressive. Instead they targetfamilies most opposed to her UK break-up dreams.
Martin Redfern. 4 Royal Circus, Edinburgh.
Economic wrongs go back decades
Sir, – Alan Hinnrichs (March 2) gives his usual one-sided analysis of UK economic performance and its recent history.
The reason that so many manufacturing and heavy industry jobs were offshored had little to do with Tory Party plotting and was the result of the UK becoming a member of various trade andgovernance bodies such as the WTO and, of course, the EU where national protectionism was outlawed.
The reality then was that countries with much lower wage rates than the UK were able toproduce similar products at much lower prices.
This was a factor ignored by the UK trades union movement that encouraged strikes in pursuit of ever-increasing benefits for itsmembership, resulting in an ever-worseningcompetitive position for UK manufacturing.
Manufacturingcapacity was reduced either through companies closing down, or through relocating their manufacturing processes to countries where the lower production costs would enable the UK company to be once again competitive in the global market.
It is no use for MrHinnrichs to argue some high moral imperative while, at the same time, we remain constrained by membership of various global political clubs and at a time whenshoppers are inclined towards buying produce at the lowest price,irrespective of where it is produced.
This is not some failure by the current Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Rather it is theculmination of a series of Government blunders and blinkered trades unionism dating back over the past 50 years.
The fact that the UK economy is now overly focused on the finance sector is simply due to the fact that other countries (excluding the US) have not yet caught up with our highly successful sector expertise and when they do, we may very well see a similar effect to that seen in the manufacturing sector.
Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.
Perth can learn from… Perth
Sir, – Never mind the referendum. There are important celebrations in Perth, WesternAustralia.
This month has seen the opening, at last, of the Elizabeth Quay in our namesake city.
This great marinaillustrates what sort of opportunity we could seize too in Perth,Scotland.
Moreover, there has already been anunofficial name change of Perth’s latest attraction to Betty’s Jetty.
Could we achieve our own Betty’s Jetty on the Tay at Perth?
Andrew Dundas. 34 Ross Avenue, Perth.
MPs are no rays of sunshine
Sir, – Whenever I see SNP MPs such as Angus Robertson, Pete Wishart and the rest on television from the House ofCommons chamber, Iam reminded of the words of PG Wodehouse, who said: “It is neverdifficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.”
Donald Lewis. Pine Cottage, Beech Hill, Gifford.
Brexit? Fine, but then what?
Sir, – The Brexiters have signed up political celebs from BorisJohnson to George Galloway along with yesterday’s men like Iain Duncan Smith, David Owen and Michael Howard.
They all agree the EU is a very bad thing but even the more thoughtful of this troupe such as Michael Gove are a bit vague on the consequences of leaving.
The fact is there is no possibility of anotherreferendum and article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty rules out the idea that the UK could return toBrussels and demand a lot more.
Brexit would not allow us free entry to Europe’s giant souk we would have to pay for access, accept free movement of labour and will have no influence over rules.
We Scots have already been through a referendum contest when we were promised the moon but in the end we settled for the earth. Was this Project Fear or Project Common Sense?
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.