The SNP say the Scottish Parliament will consider a specially commissioned report on the impact of welfare reform on Scotland which, the SNP claim, shows that only Scottish Government action on Council Tax Benefit has prevented the loss to Scotland’s economy from welfare changes being even worse. The report by experts at Sheffield Hallam University also claims that when the full range of Westminster’s welfare cuts come into effect, they will take more than £1.6 billion per year out of Scotland’s economy which is equivalent to around £480 a year for every adult of working age.
The SNP say their-led councils have committed themselves to a policy of no eviction for council tenants affected by the bedroom tax who are doing all they reasonably can to avoid falling into arrears and the party has committed to abolish the policy outright in an independent Scotland.
Commenting, SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn who sits on the Welfare Reform Committee said: "The SNP have made a firm commitment to scrap the Bedroom Tax in an independent Scotland. Labour has so far failed to follow suit, but if they are to maintain any shred of credibility they must end the confusion and state once and for all whether they would scrap the Bedroom Tax or maintain it under a Labour administration. The fact of the matter is that Labour is terrified of saying anything substantial on welfare because they know that the only way Scotland can get the welfare system that people here want is with the powers of an independent Scotland. A clear majority of people in Scotland want all decisions on tax and welfare to be made in Scotland and only a Yes vote in September 2014 will give us the opportunity we need to truly build the fairer, more prosperous country we all want to live in."
Commenting, SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn who sits on the Welfare Reform Committee said: "The SNP have made a firm commitment to scrap the Bedroom Tax in an independent Scotland. Labour has so far failed to follow suit, but if they are to maintain any shred of credibility they must end the confusion and state once and for all whether they would scrap the Bedroom Tax or maintain it under a Labour administration. The fact of the matter is that Labour is terrified of saying anything substantial on welfare because they know that the only way Scotland can get the welfare system that people here want is with the powers of an independent Scotland. A clear majority of people in Scotland want all decisions on tax and welfare to be made in Scotland and only a Yes vote in September 2014 will give us the opportunity we need to truly build the fairer, more prosperous country we all want to live in."
