Sturgeon ‘a very canny strategic operator’ says expert
Nicola Sturgeon’s ruling SNP expects to win the May 6 vote by a landslide and insists such a result would give it a clear mandate to push for a second referendum on leaving the UK. But a study by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found an independent Scotland would need to more than double the basic rate of income tax to balance its books, a figure critics of Ms Sturgeon claim has been “conveniently forgotten” by IndyRef2 campaigners.
Scottish taxpayers expect their leaders to get to grips with the reality of the country’s fiscal position
And Danielle Boxall, Media Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said Scottish voters should expect their leaders to get to grips with the reality of the country’s fiscal position whether it wins independence or not.
Writing on the ThinkScotland website, Ms Boxall said: “To balance the books a separate Scotland would need to increase taxes by at least 10 percent of GDP.
“That would be equivalent to raising the basic rate of income tax to 46 pence in the pound or VAT to 49 percent.
“The fact that the basic rate of income tax would need to be more than doubled has been conveniently forgotten by politicians determined to avoid an honest debate about independence.
“Some 44 percent of Scottish income taxpayers already pay higher rates than elsewhere in the UK, and these politicians realise that further increases on the scale required would devastate taxpayers, seriously undermine economic growth prospects and ultimately see them punished at the ballot box.”
Nicola Sturgeon launches the SNP’s Holyrood election campaign (Image: PA)
Ms Boxall said Scotland’s financial position can no longer be ignored, particularly with separatism back on the table.
She said: “The Scottish government’s fiscal framework, managed in agreement with HM Treasury, underpins the tax and welfare spending powers that have been devolved.
“If Scotland were to become independent, it could enjoy both freedoms and responsibilities outside this current framework.
“But an independent Scotland would start life with a perilous fiscal deficit, with tax revenues that fall well short.
“Conversely, remaining within the Union and the current fiscal framework agreed with the Westminster government preserves a status quo involving extraordinary fiscal deficit, driven by excessive spending levels.
“Scottish taxpayers expect their leaders to get to grips with the reality of the country’s fiscal position – independence or not.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson’s nightmare warning SNP ‘will be centrepiece for years’
Nicola Sturgeon as vowed to push for a second referendum on Scottish independence (Image: PA)
Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross (Image: GETTY)
The SNP has rejected the claims made by the TaxPayers’ Alliance and urged voters to ignore its “daft logic”.
A party spokesman said: “The shadowy right-wing TaxPayers’ Alliance – which wants to slash Scotland’s budget – is the last organisation people in Scotland should be listening to.
“The UK is currently around £2trillion in debt, and by the Taxpayers’ Alliance’s own daft logic, the UK income tax rate would have to have increased by 400 percent over the last 12 months to account for the enormous increase in public spending to tackle the Covid crisis.
“An independent Scotland would start out with human and natural resources that most countries could only dream of, with the added bonus of the key decisions about our future to be taken in Scotland – not by the likes of Boris Johnson.”
Holyrood entered its pre-election recess period yesterday with the official election campaigning allowed to begin today.
Ms Sturgeon kicked off the SNP campaign by warning the UK Government could “wreck” Scotland’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic if it was allowed to maintain control.
She said: “With independence we’ll have a recovery made in Scotland and we’ll have the powers needed to build a fairer and more prosperous country.
“To vote for that right to decide your future – and to join together in our national mission to build that better country – make it both votes SNP on May 6.”
DON’T MISS
Ian Blackford humiliated: SNP stunt ‘backfires spectacularly'[SPOTLIGHT]
Sturgeon’s EU dream in tatters as Scots see bloc’s’ lunacy'[INSIGHT]
Support for Scottish independence drops to lowest since 2019[FOCUS]
Nicola Sturgeon profile (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has sought to rally pro-UK voters behind his party in a bid to ensure there is not another referendum on independence.
He said: “With an SNP majority, Scotland’s recovery would be derailed by their obsession with another independence referendum.
“Their Indyref2 Bill would pass without real challenge and they would proceed with a reckless referendum right away while we’re still facing a health and economic crisis.
“We need pro-UK voters to unite once again behind the Scottish Conservatives, just as they did in 2016, to stop an SNP majority so we can get 100 percent of our focus back on rebuilding Scotland.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the driving force of his party in the next parliamentary term would be the recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie echoed similar sentiments to his Labour counterpart, pledging to put the recovery from Covid-19 first.
