Local MSP Brian Whittle has said people and businesses across South Scotland will still be “paying more and getting less in return” after the SNP’s latest budget.
Scottish Conservative MSP Brian believes the budget was a missed opportunity, with the SNP prioritising playing politics over any real change. He went on to criticise the Scottish Government’s lack of long-term thinking and accused them of being out of ideas.
Ahead of the budget, the Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay wrote to First Minister John Swinney with proposals to boost the economy and put more money in people’s pockets by lowering taxes to help grow the economy and create jobs, but the ideas were ignored.
The Scottish Government have been accused of short changing many businesses by only offering a 40% rates relief to a limited number of hospitality businesses and excluding retail and leisure businesses entirely.
Brian, the Scottish Conservative spokesperson for Public Health also criticised the SNP for rehashing a pledge on NHS waiting times that they already broke months ago.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“This is a budget from the SNP that’s put political game playing above solving the problems Scotland is facing. What should have been an opportunity to take a different path towards lower taxes, properly managed public spending and a stronger economy has instead turned out to be more of the same.
People across South Scotland are still being asked to pay more and get less in return.
This budget proved once and for all that the SNP don’t have a long-term plan for the future of Scotland. They’re out of ideas and only interested in spending taxpayers’ money to try and buy enough votes to win the next election.
While Labour and the SNP compete over who can make the most expensive spending pledges, the Scottish Conservatives are offering a new approach, focussed on building a strong economy and a public sector fit for the 21st century.
So rather than a clear vision and bold ideas, we’ve got a welcome, but half-hearted, rates relief for hospitality businesses while retail and leisure firms are left in the cold. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government continue to spend huge sums on the NHS but without any credible plan for how to use that money to cut waiting lists and treat more patients, more quickly.
The SNP had the chance to start fixing the mess they’ve made in this budget, but they’ve chosen to double down on the same tired approach and it’s Scotland that will pay the price.”
