Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Iain Gray and the Scottish Labour Party to punish people for having better quality of life.


Dear All

To show how out of touch New Labour is with the rest of the public; they have come back to an unfair idea which will hit the poorest in society hardest.

Labour is reconsidering a tax on Scottish homes based on house values and not household income.

Labour has returned to this socially flawed idea because it is looking to find a replacement to their discredited Council tax.

The idea of a property tax based on house values was thought by a committee headed by former Bank of Scotland boss Sir Peter Burt who can well afford such a tax.

This type of tax is an out and out disgrace as those setting the tax will also be collecting the tax regardless of personal circumstances; it is a trap to lock the poor still further into an unfair society.

Sir Peter Burt’s report was rightly shelved by then First Minister Jack McConnell who recognised this as a vote loser; he was said to be interested in "reform" the council tax system.

Three years down the line and this flawed idea resurfaces as New Labour has no ideas or talent, so bereft are they that they have to rehash old policies to draw some attention to them!

One thing that will be clear is that bills will be going up if New Labour ever get control of Scotland, stark contrast to the work of the SNP by freezing Council tax to give people breathing space.

Labour’s property tax would also reflect any improvements carried out and revaluations would be carried out more frequently than under the present system, so people who better their quality of life by their own means will pay an additional charge for it.

Labour finance spokesman Andy Kerr said;

"Labour killed off the SNP's unworkable proposals for a local income tax”.

If Kerr recalls Labour had to get the support of the other unionist parties to do so, they were part of a group to ensure that the present system remained similar to England.

Kerr, a failed candidate for the Scottish Labour Leadership of the Holyrood Labour MSP group continues by saying;

"Meanwhile we are working hard to deliver a property-based tax system that is fair and practical”.

What is fair about a tax that punishes people for improving their quality of life?

The SNP and Tories have seen the flaws in the Labour proposal and ridiculed the idea.

SNP MSP Brian Adam pointed out that homeowners and pensioners will be penalised by such an unfair tax; he also said;

“After all Iain Gray's talk of new and radical proposals they have retreated to a policy rubbished by the last Labour Executive."

The Tories spokesman; Derek Brownlee said:

"This is a bout of summer madness from Labour”.

New Labour claims to be a party of fairness and social justice, these proposals show clearly that they are neither.

New Labour has run out of ideas and worse than that they have run out of decency if it ever existed.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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