Scottish Government must use powers to full extent
The Scottish Government must use the powers of devolution to the full extent to build a fairer, greener Scotland and offset some of the damage being done from Westminster, says Scottish Green co-leader, Patrick Harvie MSP.
In a debate today on The UK Budget – Scotland’s Priorities, the Scottish Greens called for the new Labour government to reject the broken economic policies of the Tories and for the SNP to go further in its use of existing powers now and as part of the upcoming Scottish budget.
Speaking in the chamber today, Mr Harvie called for the Scottish Government to prioritise projects that will cut climate emissions.
Mr Harvie said: “This government and this parliament still have the responsibility to use the powers we have to the maximum, and we're not yet doing so.
“The Scottish Greens have made the case for policies like the Scottish Child Payment and others. We've also successfully brought to the chamber the solutions that show how we can pay for them.
“It's because of the work of the Scottish Greens that we have progressive taxation in this country and an extra £1.5 billion in the Scottish budget every year. It's because of the work of the Scottish Greens that we have already made progress on more local powers, whether that's powers to double council tax on second and empty homes, the introduction of the Transient Visitor Levy or the workplace parking levy as options for councils. There is more to come with the carbon land tax and others.
“We need to go further on this and, finally, we need to cut unsustainable investment in those high cost, high carbon pieces of infrastructure and invest instead in what will cut costs and cut emissions, like energy efficient homes and buildings that use renewables and not fossil fuels.
“The Scottish Government will have to go further with the powers it does have.”