Kate Forbes promises ‘stability and support’ for Scots in her 2022-23 Budget
The Scottish Finance Secretary will unveil her draft tax and spending plans to Holyrood on Thursday.
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Your support makes all the difference.The Scottish Budget for next year will provide people with “stability and support” as the country seeks to recover from coronavirus, Kate Forbes has insisted.
The Scottish Finance Secretary will outline her draft tax and spending plans for 2022-23 to MSPs at Holyrood later on Thursday.
It is the first Budget to be put forward following the SNP’s co-operation agreement with the Scottish Greens – meaning the government can this year be sure of getting its plans through Holyrood without having to seek to strike a deal with the opposition.
And Ms Forbes said the proposals she will put forward would help create a “fairer, greener and more prosperous country”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already confirmed the Budget will see the Scottish Child Payment, which helps low income families with children, doubled from £10 a week to £20 a week from April.
But she has warned this will lead to difficult decisions elsewhere.
Ms Forbes however stressed her plans would “prioritise supporting people and our vital public services through the twin crises of Covid and the cost of living”.
She said: “The Scottish Budget will provide taxpayers with stability and support, set out clearly how we will accelerate our Covid recovery, and crucially, how our spending plans will set Scotland on a new ambitious path.
“It has been a challenging Budget due to the continuing impact of the pandemic, and the uncertainty and worry that Covid poses for us all.
“This has been confounded by the UK Government’s decision to remove necessary Covid consequential funding at a time when we undeniably need to help our public services.”
While the UK Government has increased the block grant Scotland receives from Westminster to a record amount, Scottish ministers argue that the lack of specific funding to deal with Covid means they will have less cash to spend next year.
Despite this though, the Finance Secretary said: “The Scottish Government has taken spending decisions that prioritise supporting people and our vital public services through the twin crises of Covid and the cost of living.
“It is a budget for Scotland’s future – one that will help us secure a fairer, greener and more prosperous country.”
Scottish Conservatives meanwhile said Ms Forbes must support hard-pressed businesses by providing firms in the leisure, hospitality, retail, aviation and newspaper sectors with a 75% rates rebate.
The Tories are also calling for increased funding for councils, and for the Scottish Government to guarantee that £2.1 billion in health consequentials will go the NHS north of the border.
Conservative finance spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “Scotland’s economy and public services have taken a huge hit during the pandemic, so this budget has to be about recovery.
“The choice for the SNP is stark – stand up for ordinary, hard-working Scots or stand up for their extremist, anti-business Scottish Green coalition partners.”
Ms Smith called on ministers to “make the most of the record funding settlement from the UK Chancellor”.
She added: “The SNP have the chance to make a real difference with this budget – they must not squander it.”
Labour’s finance spokesman Daniel Johnson also stressed the need for the Government to deliver “a real recovery for Scotland”.
He said: “Our recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic presents an unparalleled challenge and one that requires urgent, direct and focussed action in order to address it.
“Scotland deserves a budget with bold ideas, backed up by ambition, not the all usual spin and no substance deals previously struck between the SNP and the Greens.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton meanwhile called for more cash to go on increasing wages for social care staff, supporting those with long Covid and also tackling the climate emergency.
He said: “On the back of the largest increase in the block grant ever, this budget is an opportunity to secure more progress on the issues that we care about.”