The Woman Who Spoiled Xmas, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon refuses to pledge to freeze tax bills for middle class families; is Sturgeon planning to fleece Scots for everything she can financially, what an end to the year to know Sturgeon plans to kick you and your kids in the teeth yet again, no wonder people can’t stand the sight of her, more money for worse services

Dear All

The woman who spoiled Christmas, yes, fresh from having the Brexit debate cancelled which would have been of interest to many in the UK, bitter Nicola Sturgeon has a message for the Scottish people, ‘gies yer money, more money’. It seems that Nicola Sturgeon is refusing to rule out higher tax bills in next week’s budget. And in what must be as funny as drinking cold sick, she is saying that Scots would get a “fair deal”.

How doesn’t anyone paying more tax and being financially screwed square the circle of that being a ‘fair deal? The reason for taxation is that the SNP are so incapable of growing Scotland’s economy that they fallback to the easy option, tax, tax and more tax.

When it comes to income tax, council tax and business rates, the SNP mantra seems to be let’s help ourselves to more. Finance Secretary Derek Mackay confirmed that middle-class Scotland would not get the same tax break as England in April. This revelation rather puts an end to the SNP lie that Scots are better off under SNP Government, things are getting worse and they have no solutions.

Wednesday’s draft tax and spending plans at Holyrood will give people an insight how much they are going to get stiffed for cash.

Why the higher tax burden now?

This is easy explained, the SNP want to show that they do things different, not better, just different, and when we get a worse service that costs more money; Nicola Sturgeon just blames England. This is the format that the SNP have always used, it never changes, seen as good for government, good for SNP Party Conferences.

High-earning Scots face paying £1100 more next year than their English counterparts, what a nice present in time for Christmas, a bit like when you get your gas and electric bill dropping on the carpet.

Your heart just sinks!

Acting Tory leader Jackson Carlaw predicted the Scottish Greens would demand higher taxes in return for supporting the 2019/20 budget. The Scottish Greens have been fostered on the electorate by the list system. They are like a stone in everyone’s shoe that people can’t get rid of. I support the removal of the list system in Holyrood, and the introduction of smaller Holyrood constituencies. Perhaps if this was to happen, then more people would get help, the list system doesn’t encourage MSPs to work for the people.

In an attempt to be meaningful, the SNP and Greens have discussed raising the 3% cap on council tax rises next year.

Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw claimed a “brand new tax on householders across Scotland” was looming and called on Ms Sturgeon to rule out a “new tax on homes of hard-pressed ordinary Scots”. As to that claim, the SNP don’t tend to do much other than tinkering at the edges so maybe saying “brand new tax on householders 2 is a bit rash. Especially when you factor in this hasn’t been flagged up by the media and talked about in any meaningful way.

Anyway Carlaw added:

“The First Minister’s budget is now going up. She has the money to spend. The fact is no further tax rises are necessary. Isn’t the right choice this year to commit to no further increases on Scottish taxpayers?”

Although the details of the budget tend to be secret as the government and Nicola Sturgeon want a big day for PR purposes, the electorate are always the losers.

On thing which show how bad the SNP are government is summed up in the issue facing Capercaillie B&B and restaurant in Killin, this is a business that employs 16 people, whose business rates are set to rise from £333 to £1750 a month.

So, where is the fairness for this small business which it is alleged to be up for sale?

Where is the Scottish Government help?

Where is one of the ‘fabled’ SNP taskforces to save them?

The truth is that the SNP can’t grow Scotland in a business sense because they are clueless, it is worse than that; they are also inward looking when it comes to ideas. In Glasgow, there is a body called the Glasgow Action Group, which is made up of key figures in the city’s hospitality sector. They have issued a warning that rate hikes could cost 20,000 jobs countrywide. You would think that Nicola Sturgeon would have grasped that protecting jobs is equally as important as taxing them.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard also pitched in to raise the budget at FMQs, calling for more investment in schools, as he revealed there has been a 7% fall in specialist additional support needs teachers since 2014. With Nicola Sturgeon asking people to judge her on education it seems that some pupils can’t get a decent one as there has been 32% increase in pupils requiring help.

As we wait for the budget to be announced, what we will not be seen is the reform of the Scottish Government departments, we wouldn’t be seen better services, we wouldn’t be seeing genuine help for businesses, we wouldn’t be seeing a credible plan to grow Scotland’s manufacturing base.

We wouldn’t be seeing anything which indicates that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP can do anything but to get another budget passed. Is it surprising that when it comes to the SNP Government that many people keep expressing the same thought…. ‘Is that it?’

Finally, I wonder if Nicola Sturgeon has any plans to surround herself in the run up to Christmas with kids when it is clear that she plans to fleece their parents for everything she can financially?  

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University