25 reasons why Alex should drop local income tax
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04 September 2008
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| The Scotsman today published 25 reasons why the SNP should drop local income tax
25 reasons why Alex should drop local income tax
1
Local
income tax (LIT) will leave a £750 million financial black hole in
Scotland. Others have suggested it could be as high as £1.3 billion.
YVETTE COOPER, CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY
2
LIT will make Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK and this might encourage businesses to leave.
INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS
3
There will be serious service cuts at council level unless local income tax is set at 4.5p or higher.
THE LABOUR PARTY
4
LIT
may be illegal under the provisions of the Scotland Act because it is
unclear whether a local tax can be replaced by a national tax.
PROFESSOR RICHARD KERLEY, OF QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY
5
Replacing an unfair tax with an unworkable tax will cause more misery than we can know.
PATRICK HARVIE, GREEN PARTY
6
There
will be a 'damaging' impact on service personnel, who would have to pay
the new tax in full, but currently have their council tax reduced. This
could lower morale and cause yet more recruitment problems.
BOB AINSWORTH, ARMED FORCES MINISTER
7
There
will be serious anomalies over people living in England but working in
Scotland. There are also concerns that people may register as living in
England to avoid paying.
THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
8
Hard-pressed students, who are currently exempt from the council tax, would have to pay.
THE NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS
9
Scottish
firms would be placed at a competitive disadvantage to companies in
other parts of the UK because LIT additions to wage packets would be
passed on to customers.
SCOTTISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
10
LIT will take £70 million from vital city council services which will lead to severe cuts.
GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL
11
The
PAYE system does not easily deal with taxpayers who receive income from
different sources, including pensioners receiving pensions from
different employers or those who have various part-time jobs – this
will particularly affect those on low incomes who will be exposed to
incorrect PAYE codes, and these practical issues should not be
underestimated.
THE LAW SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND
12
Regardless
of the rate of tax chosen, there will be uncertainty as to the yield
that can be obtained, as revenues derived from income taxes can be more
volatile.
SCOTTISH COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRY
13
LIT
would be technically complex and challenging to implement because of
the complexities of tax law, and trying to sort out what would happen
to the £400 million council tax benefit.
THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY
14
Investors and businesses who are thinking of coming to Scotland will be scared away because of the extra income tax.
CBI SCOTLAND
15
LIT
probably breaks European law by removing control of raising local
finances from councils. It could break Article 9 of the European
charter of local self-government, which guarantees the right of
councils to raise a large part of their own finances.
PROFESSOR CHRIS HIMSWORTH, OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY
16
Wealthy
people who have unearned income from sources like share dividends can
avoid LIT whilst poorer people would have to pay.
THE SCOTTISH TRADES UNION CONGRESS
17
The
UK tax system does not give across-the-board allowances for disability
and, in the absence of such allowances, the burden of LIT will be
higher on disabled people than on the general body of taxpayers.
LOW INCOMES TAX REFORM GROUP
18
LIT
will be more intrusive into people's lives because it would require far
greater knowledge of their personal circumstances than a property tax
would.
THE INSTITUTE OF REVENUES, RATING AND VALUATION
19
At
present, a cohort of carers are currently "disregarded" (treated as not
living in the property) when calculating council tax. Households with
multiple taxpayers will end up paying more and this has the potential
to include more carers who are not currently liable for council tax.
CARERS SCOTLAND
20
The
£281 million of savings that need to be made to create a 3p local
income tax could be used instead to reduce the burden of the council
tax.
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY
21
LIT
would bring unwelcome extra bureaucracy and cost to businesses because
of all the extra paperwork created in sorting out employees' income
tax. Lib Dem proposals for different rates for different areas would
make it even worse.
THE FEDERATION OF SMALL BUSINESSES
22
Families
will be worse off, or there will be cuts in public services, because
the 3p rate will not be enough to fund current service levels.
UNISON
23
Water
and sewerage charges are collected by local authorities on behalf of
Scottish Water – the consultation did not present any proposals on how
such charges will be set and collected under LIT.
SOCIETY OF LOCAL AUTHORITY CHIEF EXECUTIVES
24
LIT
would be bad for the environment because it will take away the
flexibility needed to bring in specific charges for rubbish collection.
THE POLICY INSTITUTE
25
The SNP's centralising LIT proposal reduces the lack of control that councils have over local finances.
SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL
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General
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Labour "fighting like ferrets in a sack"
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09 October 2008
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| The Edinburgh Evening News today reports Labours campaign in Forth has descended into bitter infighting. The Evening News today carried the following story on Labours campaign in Forth Ward. It is a marked contrast to the campaign being fought by Iain McGill, and Edinburgh Conservatives.
Iain thanked his team today for their hard work so far, delivering 10s of thousands of leaflets already and knocking as many doors by time election day comes around.
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Campaign-Day-has-city-Labour.4574464.jp
Campaign Day has city Labour 'fighting like ferrets in a sack'
Published Date:
09 October 2008
By ALAN RODEN
LABOUR
supporters in north Edinburgh were today accused of "fighting like
ferrets in a sack" as an internal row overshadowed their by-election
campaign.
Long-standing
activists are known to be unhappy with the speed with which candidate
Cammy Day was chosen, as well as alleged interference from the party
hierarchy.
It is understood some supporters have refused to campaign for Mr.Day ahead of polling day in the Forth ward on November 6.
In a
letter obtained by the Evening News, one unsuccessful candidate called
for an "urgent inquiry", and the internal row was today seized on by
the SNP.
The by-election is being held following the sudden
death of Elizabeth Maginnis last month. Labour selected its candidate
just one week after her funeral.
One long-serving member of the
party said: "The situation was ridiculous. Elizabeth's funeral was only
on the Friday, and then letters were received the following Wednesday,
with the selection meeting two days later. It was insensitive.
"The
Labour executive wanted to control everything, and it was their votes
that got Cammy chosen – they wanted someone who was young. A lot of the
local branch members couldn't get to the selection meeting at such
short notice.
"I've never heard of a selection process happening
so quickly. It's left a bad taste in people's mouths, and there is
genuine upset among local Labour supporters."
In the letter to
party "colleagues", one unsuccessful short-listed candidate wrote: "As
well as being disrespectful of the feelings of the Maginnis family, the
notice given to branch members of the date of the selection meeting was
inadequate. One candidate clearly had access to membership records
before he was informed that he had successfully made the selection
meeting short-list . . . so had an unfair advantage.
"During his
speech to conference, our leader (Gordon Brown] proudly proclaimed
'fairness is in our DNA'. If that is indeed the case, I hope I can now
look forward to seeing swift action taken.
"Some (members] have said they will not work for the candidate in the forthcoming by-election.
"Furthermore,
unless an urgent inquiry is initiated and action taken, I fear that the
press and our political opponents will get wind of this."
SNP
group leader Steve Cardownie said today: "We are getting used to
infighting and intrigue over Labour's by-election candidates.
"While Labour keep fighting like ferrets in a sack, the SNP will be out on the doorsteps working hard for every single vote."
But
a Labour Party spokesman said: "We were of the view that a quick
by-election would be called, and we wanted a candidate in place. The
timescale was longer than we had for the by-election in Glenrothes.
"The
allegations about a candidate receiving early access to membership
records are incorrect. At the point someone indicates (a willingness to
stand], they can have access. The Scottish general secretary has looked
into this and was satisfied there was nothing untoward. All rules and
procedures were followed."
He added: "The campaign has been
going really well – people have been out knocking on doors every
evening and there's no major discontent."
TIMETABLE OF TROUBLE
The selection process in the Labour Forth ward:
September 12: Funeral for Elizabeth Maginnis.
September 16: Notice of vacant position. Ward members notified.
September 18, noon: Close of applications to Labour panel.
September 18, 6pm: New candidates to the panel interviewed.
September 19, 1pm: Candidates short-listed by Edinburgh West and Edinburgh North and Leith executives.
September 19, 7pm: Candidate chosen at selection meeting.
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General
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Listen to Iain on Leith FM
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12 October 2008
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| Iain McGill is featuring on Leith FM Leith FM are your community radio station covering the Leith area. Aiming to strengthen the community spirit and identity of Leith.
Iain McGill will next be on air from 12noon till 14.00 on Wednesday 5th November, discussing the results from the American election the day before and the campaign in Forth Ward.
Leith FM is on 98.8 and their website is www.leithfm.co.uk
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General
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Our plan for a responsible economy
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17 October 2008
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| David Cameron has outlined our long-term economic plans and stressed that economic responsibility is the key to repairing our broken economy. David Cameron has outlined our long-term economic plans and stressed that economic responsibility is the key to repairing our broken economy.
He
attacked Labour's "mistaken" economic policy of the last ten years, and
said Gordon Brown's economic record now lies "in ruins".
"Over
the past decade, we have seen a total breakdown of economic
responsibility. From the Government, as it has spent and borrowed
without restraint. And from our financial sector, which has taken
decisions which have harmed the rest of our economy. So it is not more
freedom that our economy needs; it is more responsibility."
David
stressed that short-term action to get through the crisis would not be
enough - we need a long-tem plan to rebuild our economy:
"We
need to change from irresponsible capitalism and irresponsible
Government, to responsible free enterprise and responsible Government."
He set out exactly what we mean by economic responsibility:
- A responsible fiscal policy, with an independent Office of Budget Responsibility to hold every government to account
- A responsible financial policy, bolstered by a renewed role for the Bank of England in monitoring overall debt levels
- A responsible attitude to economic development, which fosters more balanced economic growth
David said that Gordon Brown’s economic strategy had "fundamentally
failed" and he stressed that the Prime Minister won't be able to escape
blame for the economic crisis.
"Gordon
Brown is hoping that his whirlwind of summitry will mean that we will
forget what has come before. Forget that he stripped the Bank of
England of its powers to supervise the city. Forget he accelerated -
how he actively encouraged - the risk taking culture in our banks.
Forget
that he promised - time and time again - that he had abolished boom and
bust. Forget that – as we enter a downturn, where jobs, home and
livelihoods will be lost – that he was the one who created this mess in
the first place.
But I won’t forget – and the British people won’t forget."
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General
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Steering Group set up to take forward Calman recommendations
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17 June 2009
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| Steering Group set up to take forward Calman recommendations A Steering Group has been set up to help the
UK Government and Scottish Parliament take forward the Calman
recommendations and deliver stronger devolution within a stronger
United Kingdom.
It
will be made up of the leadership of the respective parties who made up
the commission – Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats.
Annabel
Goldie MSP, Iain Gray MSP and Tavish Scott MSP will be joined by
Westminster colleagues Jim Murphy MP, Secretary of State for Scotland,
David Mundell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and Alistair
Carmichael MP.
Annabel Goldie MSP, Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party Leader, said:
“This
is a hugely significant and thorough piece of work. It is our duty to
cement Scotland's place in the Union and to strengthen devolution. I am
delighted the report is unanimous and that there is broad agreement on
its main principles across the parties and across the border. The
Steering Group is now the right way to drive matters forward.
Scotland's future lies with making devolution work.”
Iain Gray MSP, Scottish Labour Leader, said:
“I
welcome Sir Kenneth’s report as an exciting development in the
devolution process. It is bold and progressive. Ten years on the Calman
Commission has rigorously examined how we can make the Scottish
Parliament more accountable. I look forward to the prospect of
participating in the Steering Group as we take it forward.“
Tavish Scott MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, said:
“Calman’s
recommendations take us towards a real home rule settlement.
Politicians should not be able to take easy spending decisions without
the responsibility of accounting for this money. Blaming Westminster
should not be a get out clause. We look forward to working with all
parties to make this blueprint a reality.”
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General
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Alex Salmond politicises history: No Reformation commemoration
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16 July 2009
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| Alex Salmond politicises history: No Reformation commemoration As if it wasn’t bad enough politicising the
Saltire and sport, Alex Salmond is now trying to rewrite history to
suit his nationalist agenda. The SNP Scottish Government have just
revealed it has no plans to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the
Reformation next year, despite its historical significance.
Iain McGill, Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party candidate in Edinburgh North & Leith, says:
“The
First Minister refuses to acknowledge the 450th anniversary of the
Reformation because it isn’t nationalist enough. The fact that it
brought about universal education in Scotland seems to have slipped his
mind. So much for wanting to teach Scottish history in schools.
"Regardless
of one's religious opinions, there can be no doubt that the Scottish
Reformation was a hugely significant event in this nation's history.
"The
SNP are not normally shy in celebrating Scottish history when it suits
them. Whether it is the annual event at Bannockburn to commemorate
victory over the English, the attempt to hijack the Saltire for party
political purposes, or the abuse of St Andrew's Day as a date for the
proposed rigged referendum on separation, the SNP will use our heritage
whenever it can to promote its narrow nationalist agenda. Important
events in Scottish history that don't fit with this are conveniently
ignored.
"Alex
Salmond and the SNP need to rise above partisan politics and realise
that as a Government they are there to represent all of Scotland, not
just use their positions for party political purposes."
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General
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Staying on as an MP means Alex Salmond personally gains by more than £200,000
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02 September 2009
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| Staying on as an MP means Alex Salmond personally gains by more than £200,000 New data has been released showing the huge
personal gain which Alex Salmond is set to make as a result of his
refusal to stand down as an MP. Several newspapers have already called
for him to stand down because of his low attendance and voting record
at Westminster. He has recently been put in the spotlight over his
expenses claims for food during a House of Commons recess. But the fact
that he will make over a quarter of a million pounds additional pay,
pension and pay-off from the three years extra time as an MP raises
serious questions about whether he has given value for money.
Iain Mcgill, Scottish Conservative Candidate for Edinburgh North & Leith said:
"These revelations will astonish voters. Alex
Salmond has struggled to justify why he has held 3 jobs, and received
three salaries whilst he represented two largely separate
constituencies. He has the worst voting and speaking record of any
Scottish MP over the last 3 years. He been poor value for money. He has
not fulfilled his responsibilities as an MP to the people of Banff and
Buchan. He is rarely at Westminster.
"Alex Salmond justified staying on as an MP to be
'Scotland's voice at Westminster'. That voice has barely been a
whisper. His constituents deserve better. Instead, the taxpayer has
been left to pick up this considerable tab for the absentee MP.
"Many voters will now wonder if these figures
reveal the real reason why Alex Salmond refused to stand down. He now
has to explain whether he is worth the money."
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General
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Forth Crossing will cost money but doing nothing not an option
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18 September 2009
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| Forth Crossing will cost money but doing nothing not an option The
Scottish Chamber of Commerce have today criticised Edinburgh Council
for suggesting the postponement of the new Forth Crossing.
Iain McGill, Conservative Candidate in Edinburgh North & Leith, says:
"The new Forth Crossing is an issue of material strategic importance for Fife, Edinburgh and the Lothians.
"The proposals will cost money, but doing nothing is neither a safe nor cost free option.
"The
danger of delaying decisions is to ratchet up uncertainty - which is
bad for business confidence - but will also leave us wide open to
unquantifiable future costs."
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General
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