SCOTTISH Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has said “casting both votes for the SNP on May 6 will leave households much better off” – as council tax rises in England will see households landed with a £2 billion bill.
From today, households south the Border will face an average council tax hike of 4.3% with those in London set to be hit the hardest, with a 9.5% increase in the Greater London Authority area and an average increase of 5.5% for a band D property.
In contrast, all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have agreed to freeze council tax rates as a result of the Scottish Government’s fully-funded council tax freeze, which provides local authorities the cash equivalent of a 3% council tax increase in return for not putting up levels.
If re-elected, the SNP has pledged to scrap council tax for everyone under the age of 22 – expanding the current exemption for students to all young people, including those in work and apprenticeships.
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Forbes, who is the SNP’s candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said: “Casting both votes for the SNP on May 6 will leave households much better off.
“There is no doubt that families in Scotland are already better off under the SNP, with households paying £500 less on average as a result of the SNP’s council tax freeze.
“In stark contrast, the Tory council tax bombshell will leave families in England with a staggering £2bn bill on their doorsteps this morning, as council tax is hiked by a whopping 4.3% on average across the country.
“If re-elected, the SNP will go even further to support household incomes by scrapping the council tax charge on everyone under the age of 22. It is right that the exemption for students is extended to all young people, including those in work and apprenticeships.
“The issue at this election is who we trust to secure a fair recovery for Scotland. The SNP has prioritised action to boost incomes and make Scotland a fairer place to live, while the Tories impose a public sector pay freeze, cuts to Universal Credit, and tax rises for millions of workers.
“The only way to ensure that Scotland’s recovery is in Scotland’s hands, not Boris Johnson’s, is to cast both votes for the SNP on May 6.”
Meanwhile, the SNP said as prescription charges increase in England from today, people in Scotland are saving over £173 a year on them.
In 2011, Alex Salmond’s Scottish Government abolished prescription charges leaving England as the only part of the UK to charge patients for their medicine.
Figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice), show the average Scot receives 19 prescriptions per year – charged at the new English rate of £9.15 each, on average people in Scotland would be out of pocket to the tune of £173.85.
Commenting, registered pharmacist and SNP candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Maree Todd (above), said: “Prescription charges are nothing more than a tax on ill-health – and instead of abolishing them, the Tories in England are hiking them up as of today.
“Thanks to the SNP, people in Scotland who are sick or living with long-term illness do not have to choose between medication or other necessities such as food or paying bills. The NHS is our most precious public resource and healthcare should always remain free at the point of use.
“People are better off with the SNP. Only both votes SNP on May 6 will keep healthcare free and protect Scotland’s NHS.”
The SNP is on course to be the largest group in the Scottish Parliament after the May elections, although it may struggle to secure an overall majority, according to polls published on Tuesday by the Financial Times. Sturgeon, who is seeking a fourth term for the SNP in government, wants a mandate from voters to hold a second independence referendum in the first half of the new parliament.
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