Roz McCall MSP, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for Mid Scotland and Fife, says Rachel Reeves’ Budget is a “hammer blow” for workers and
businesses across Scotland. McCall says the £26 billion worth of tax rises announced by the Labour Chancellor will be “deeply damaging” for the economy and will be felt even more sharply in Scotland, where
SNP income tax decisions have already made us the highest-taxed part of the United Kingdom.
She says that families and employers across Scotland are being clobbered by two left-wing governments who are hitting households with higher bills while failing to prioritise economic growth. McCall strongly criticised Rachel Reeves’ decision to retain the Energy Profits Levy, which the sector has warned is “destroying” jobs in the oil and gas industry - with up to 1,000 skilled workers losing their jobs every month - undermining the energy security Scotland and the UK rely on.
She also raised serious concerns about the Chancellor’s decision to make only minor changes to her “cruel” family farm tax, which she says will have damaging consequences for family farms across Mid Scotland and Fife and ultimately lead to higher prices for Consumers. Roz says constituents across the region will now be worried that John Swinney and the SNP Government will follow Labour’s lead and impose their own “high-tax” Budget in January.
Roz McCall MSP said:
“Rachel Reeves’ tax-raising Budget is a hammer blow for workers and businesses across Scotland.
“The billions of pounds in tax rises announced by Labour’s Chancellor will be deeply damaging for growth, and families here will feel the impact even more because the SNP have already made Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK.
“Workers, families, and employers are being squeezed by two left-wing governments who are failing to prioritise growing the economy and instead continually hitting people with higher bills to fund a ballooning welfare system.
“The Chancellor’s decision to retain the Energy Profits Levy is disastrous for our oil and gas sector, which is already under enormous pressure. Industry leaders are clear: the EPL is destroying jobs, with around 1,000 skilled workers being lost each month. Labour simply isn’t listening.
“Her refusal to reverse the damaging family farm tax — aside from extremely minor tweaks — shows just how out of touch Westminster Labour is with rural Scotland. This will sound the death knell for many family farms and push supermarket prices even higher.
“People across my region will now be deeply concerned that John Swinney and the SNP will follow suit in January with their own high-tax Budget.
“The Scottish Conservatives will continue to push for policies that grow our economy, bring down bills, and deliver the investment in frontline services that communities in Scotland have been denied for far too long.”
