Nicola Sturgeon’s decision not to raise taxes for the richest in society came under fire at First Minister’s Questions.
Scottish Labour’s Kezia Dugdale said the SNP leader had bottled it by not using the new tax powers coming to Holyrood to increase the additional rate to 50p and relieve pressure on public services.
She said Ms Sturgeon had backtracked on her pledge to make top earners contribute more – but Ms Sturgeon said her party’s council and income tax plans would boost the country’s coffers by £2 billion.
“The SNP will now go into this election with a commitment to keep George Osborne’s tax cut for those earning more than £150,000 a year, even though we now have the power to make different choices from the Tories,” Ms Dugdale told Holyrood.
“Why does the First Minister no longer think that the richest 1% should pay their fair share?”
Ms Sturgeon responded saying it would have been “politically easy” to up the rate, but such a move could backfire by reducing the revenue.
“It would not be radical it would be reckless, it would not be daring it would be daft,” she said.
Referring to her decision not to follow Mr Osborne in raising the higher rate threshold to £45,000, Ms Sturgeon said: “We will ask the better off in our society to shoulder a bit more of the burden and over the life of the next parliament our proposals, local and national, will raise an
additional £2 billion of revenue – revenue we can invest in our NHS, in our public services and mitigating the impact of Tory austerity.”
Willie Rennie, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, whose party is looking at 1p tax rises across the board to raise £500 million a year, said Ms Sturgeon had chosen not to raise taxes – foregoing the opportunity to sort the problems in the education system.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson attempted to pick holes in Ms Sturgeon’s claim that there was a parent opt-out to the Named Persons policy, which assigns a public worker to each child in Scotland.
Critics say the policy will undermine parents and could divert resources away from those children who need support the most.
Ms Davidson said claims the scheme is not mandatory are misleading.
“Isn’t it dishonest to suggest that a parent choosing not to engage with a Named Person is the same thing as being able to stop their child from having one imposed in the first place?” she said.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The fact of the matter is that children and parents are not legally obliged to use the Named Person service or take up any of the advice or help that is offered to them, but it will be available to them if they need it at one point in the future.”