THE Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) launched its manifesto for May’s council elections yesterday, with a package of policies designed to tackle the escalating cost of living crisis.
At the heart of the party’s campaign is a plan to scrap council tax and replace it with an income-based alternative – an idea first proposed by the SNP when they were elected in 2007.
The SSP said: “Our Scottish Service Tax proposal not only shifts the burden of council funding from poor and average earners to the better-off, but generates an extra £2 billion for hard-pressed council services.”
SSP councillors will also pledge to oppose all cuts to public services and campaign for the return of the millions of pounds lost to cuts as Scots head to polling stations on May 5.
READ MORE: Can we repeat the success of the 1990s campaign against the poll tax?
To tackle Scotland’s housing crisis, SSP councillors will demand 100,000 new homes for rent are built in the public sector, meeting the highest environmental standards, alongside a similar-sized programme to retrofit existing homes to meet the same standard.
SSP will demand energy firms are returned to public ownership to ensure affordable green energy for everyone in Scotland.
They will also advocate the restoration of the £20-a-week cut for Universal Credit recipients and campaign for a national minimum wage of £12 an hour, with equal pay for all.
The party added: “With poverty blighting the lives and opportunities of hundreds of thousands of Scots, food bank referrals increasing markedly and the price of energy, petrol and basic foodstuffs rising at dizzying rates SSP councillors will campaign to change the rules of the game that so clearly disadvantage working people.
“To meet the needs of working people we will put the case for free public transport (an increasingly popular policy first proposed by the SSP 20 years ago) to cut traffic pollution, poverty and boost social inclusion.
“SSP candidates seek election on May 5th to break the cycle of poverty, privatisation and profiteering that so dominates today’s council chambers,” they added.
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