LABOUR PLAN £30 MILLION CUT TO SCOTTISH BUDGET

SNP BACK PUBLIC SERVICES AND SMALL BUSINESS

The SNP has confirmed support for public services, households and small business in the face of Labour, Lib and Tory efforts to cut £30 million from Scotland’s budget.

A coalition of Labour, Lib Dem and Tory is putting supermarket profits ahead of the Scottish people by trying to axe SNP plans to raise £30 million from the largest and most profitable retailers to invest in public services and support for small businesses.

Stuart McMillan MSP, a member of the Scottish Parliament’s economy committee said;

"The SNP’s budget for Scotland backs public services and Scotland’s businesses yet Labour in coalition with the Tories and Lib Dems want to cut £30 million from the Scottish budget in the interests of supermarkets.

"When the Scottish budget is under pressure as a result of cuts already made by Labour, Tory and Lib Dem Government’s it is almost beyond belief that they are trying to cut £30 million more.

"The SNP’s small business bonus has invested £2.4 billion in business relief and sees over half Scottish business pay no or reduced rates and the SNP is freezing the council tax saving households over £200 to ensure families do not have to pay the cost of Labour’s recession. Where we are having to raise funds it is only 0.1% of businesses that will face any extra costs.

"It is astonishing that any party – never mind a Labour, Tory and Lib Dem coalition - would call for Scottish households to pay higher council tax at the same time as asking for big business to be let off.

"Labour want to keep taxes off big businesses while asking households to pay higher council tax, small business to pay higher rates and have already increased National Insurance.

"While Labour, Tory and Lib Dem form another coalition against Scotland’s interests in this budget and at the coming election the SNP will work with households, small business and communities to make Scotland better and to protect our essential services."