That the Parliament endorses the priorities set out in the Scottish Government's spending review of tackling child poverty, addressing the climate crisis, building a stronger economy and improving public services, while supporting those people struggling with the increased cost of living; notes that the overall Scottish Budget has fallen by 5.2% in real terms between 2021-22 and 2022-23 and that the Scottish Fiscal Commission has confirmed a further 1% real-terms reduction until 2025-26; agrees that current financial fiscal arrangements between the UK Government and the Scottish Government are deeply flawed; highlights the persistent dismal failures of leadership in the UK Government, with the UK currently having the highest inflation rate of any G7 country, compounded by Brexit increasing food prices; notes recent research from the Glasgow Centre for Population Health highlighting the brutal reality of a decade of austerity under the UK Government, and believes that, with full control over the economic and financial powers, the Scottish Government could take further action to build the economy that Scotland deserves.
Supported by:
Stephen Kerr
Result 67 for, 53 against, 1 abstained, 8 did not vote Vote Passed
Scottish National Party
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Scottish Labour
Scottish Green Party
Scottish Liberal Democrats
No Party Affiliation
That the Parliament is deeply concerned by many of the trends published within the recent analysis of the Scottish economy undertaken by the Scottish Fiscal Commission; is concerned, in particular, by the revised downward growth estimates and decline in real earnings, and that the Scottish Government has imposed higher tax rates on Scotland without increasing revenues, compared with the block grant adjustment, due to the ongoing issues relating to weaker productivity and inflexibilities within the Scottish labour market; is further concerned by the real-terms cuts of more than £1 billion announced by the Scottish Government, which will affect local government, the police and higher education, among key services; calls on the Scottish Government to commit to ensuring that no one in Scotland pays more income tax compared with people in the rest of the UK, when finances allow, ensuring that policies to deliver long-term growth, including collaborative projects with the UK Government such as city deals, are a priority within Scottish Government spending plans; calls for a finance bill mechanism to be introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of public spending, and further calls for plans for a second independence referendum to be taken off the table.
Submitted by: Kate Forbes, Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish National Party, Date lodged: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Supported by: Tom Arthur, Richard Lochhead, Ivan McKee
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Result 67 for, 55 against, 0 abstained, 7 did not vote Vote Passed
Submitted by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date lodged: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Submitted by: Paul Sweeney, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date lodged: Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Supported by: Daniel Johnson
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, June 8, 2022