Labour: SNP 'Should Have Courage' Over Scottish Finances

The Labour party in Scotland is calling for an impartial and independent analysis of the impact of full fiscal autonomy.

It wants all parties to back the idea, saying the SNP should have "the courage to put their policies to the test". Their shadow Scottish secretary, Ian Murray, has tabled an amendment to the Scotland Bill, which would establish an independent expert commission, excluding politicians or those working in government, to assess the impact of full fiscal autonomy on Scotland’s finances. The amendment will be debated in the House of Commons on Monday during the latest stage of the Scotland Bill Committee.

The party's own analysis suggests the SNP Government’s oil and gas figures confirm that full fiscal autonomy would mean extra spending cuts and/or tax rises worth £7.6 billion, over and above what the Tories are planning.

Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:
 
"The SNP Government’s own figures confirm the analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which is that cutting Scotland off from UK-wide taxes would mean extra immediate spending cuts of £7.6 billion over and above what the Tories plan. The fact that the SNP trooped through the voting lobby of the House of Commons with the right wing of the Tory Party to vote for this is shameful.
 
"We’ve now had detailed numbers from the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK Government, the SNP Government, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and others. The SNP should back this step to put all of the evidence from all the different organisations to a single expert group. If they are so confident of their numbers then there would be no problem agreeing to this. The SNP want Scots to take a massive gamble with our public finances, schools and hospitals. They should at least have the courage to put their policies to the test."

Stewart Hosie, deputy leader of the SNP, said: "The SNP has already proposed to amend the Scotland Bill to give the Scottish Parliament the ability to introduce full fiscal autonomy.

“Scotland already more than pays its way, with more revenue generated per head than the UK for every one of the last 34 years. But weneed significant new powers over our economy, job creation, welfare, wages and living standards if we are to make the most of our nation’s potential. 

“Labour’s problem is that they would prefer to see a Tory government, rather than the Scottish Parliament and people, making decisions on key measures like our welfare system and the minimum wage. "