Cole-Hamilton comments on Scottish Budget

Commenting on the Scottish Budget as it was debated at Stage 3 in Parliament this afternoon, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“This Scottish Government is reaching for more tax rises. It has taken a hammer to the green renewables piggy bank. It is cutting public services for young and old.

“And why?

“Because SNP and Green ministers are completely out of ideas about how to spark growth, drive innovation, or enlarge the tax base sustainably.

“Because they have a habit of making costly blunders: ferries; the botched deposit return scheme; independence papers; selling Scotland’s prize seabed on the cheap; and next in their sights is the clueless billion-pound bureaucratic ministerial takeover of social care.

“The budget as a whole will starve Scotland of the climate-friendly initiatives, jobs and skills needed to kickstart growth and compete in the race for industries of the future.

“So we won’t vote for it because people need a liberal budget that invests in local services, mental health and growing the economy. A liberal budget which enables businesses and entrepreneurs to prosper. A liberal budget which generates the tax revenue we need to lift up Scottish education, rescue the NHS and build more warm homes.”