Publication of a White Paper, encompassing a Bill, detailing the concept of Scottish independence in the modern world as part of preparations for offering Scots the opportunity to decide on independence in a referendum, with a likely date of 2010.I'm not entirely sure how a White Paper can encompass a Bill, but let that one stick to the wall. If we are going to have a referendum in 2010, then the Bill probably needs to be introduced in 2008, allowing time for the parliamentary procedure and for bureaucratic preparations for the referendum itself. 2008 is next year. Is the referendum going to be consultative or mandatory? How is the SNP going to get round the ultra vires question whereby the Scottish Parliament has no powers to consider constitutional issues? Just what is the Scottish population going to be asked? Presumably, such questions will be answered by the White Paper, but one might have expected a bit more detail on what is the central plank of the SNP's platform.
As for local income tax:
We will scrap the unfair Council Tax and introduce a Local Income Tax set at 3p. This will apply at both the basic and higher income tax rate and will not be levied on savings income.
Second homes will continue to be liable to local tax and will make the same level of contribution as present, with payments made through business rates.
Even less informative. When is this to happen? What about the mechanics? (Who will collect it? Distributed to local authorities according to place of work or residential address? What about those paid from England? Consequentials for what used to be known as rate support grant?) What about rebutting all those who have poked financial holes in the policy? And what about those millionaires living off unearned income? And, if the rich earning massive sums pay a fair proportion in local income tax, why penalise them for having a second home?
Perhaps the answers will emerge from the press conference. (But don't hold your breath.)
2 comments:
Well I was there and all they talked about was LIT. However, as Alex Salmond said, you are being asked to vote on the principle that Local Income Tax is on the whole a fairer system of local government finance compared to the Council Tax (and we have seen Labour fall apart at the seems just with tinkering with it on the margins). Within the current powers of the Scottish Parliament, what is being proposed is the framework for a transition to a full local income tax scheme. If however you feel that there is insufficient information and you want to continue with the unfair Council Tax then please go ahead and vote Labour or even Tory.
If on the other hand, you believe that it is fairer to be taxed through progressive taxation on your income then you have a choice of the SNP, Lib Dem or even for the SSP/Solidarity. There are volumes of information on local income tax systems and how they work. The SNP has set down broadly what you need to know in order to decide whether to support this transition in principle or not. That is all a party can do at this moment. No party is ever in a position to spell out the minutae. Thats for consultation once in government.
Now on the Referendum, I suggest you dig out the Raising the Standard policy document (search on www,snp.org) for more of the detail of the where and how and I believe the draft Constitution for an Independent Scotland.
Oh and the Referendum Question was published last month - available on the SNP website and it is consultative - but then what referendum isn't?
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