SCVO welcomes ScotGov income tax discussion paper

In response to today’s (Thursday 2 November 2017) publication of the Scottish Government’s ‘The Role of Income Tax in Scotland’s Budget’ discussion paper, John Downie, Director of Public Affairs at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said: “SCVO welcomes the publication of the Scottish Government’s discussion paper ‘The Role of Income Tax in Scotland’s Budget’ earlier today (Thursday 2 November 2017), which sets out options for using Scotland’s powers over income tax. “There’s no question that almost a decade of austerity has had a serious and negative impact on public spending in Scotland, and this is taking its toll on the services we all rely on. “We believe people will be prepared to pay more taxes if it advances social good so it is important that political parties spell out why and where additional revenue will be spent. Topping up departmental coffers or using new funding for a PR or vanity project simply won’t be good enough. We urge the Scottish Parliament to target resources effectively – taking radical and preventative measures to make Scotland a healthier, fairer and more progressive nation.” “With no sign of a change in course at UK level, it is time for the Scottish Parliament to use its new powers to make the right investments in Scottish society. A less politicised, grown up debate will lead to good decision making, meaning political parties must be willing to engage in an open, rational discussion with citizens and civil society about what we want the use of these powers to achieve.” SCVO’s briefing on the topic can be found here. Read John’s blog here.