Alex Salmond hits more turbulence with local income tax project
Alex Salmond's flagship policy of a local income tax in Scotland has come under further pressure with a number of new organisations appearing with severe criticism for the idea. The likes of the Ministry of Defence and Help the Aged have stepped forward with a number of queries and suggestions as to why the local income tax plan will not work. Aside from the legality of the plan there are grave concerns that once in place this will allow local authorities to increase local tax take in an instant.
Many people in Scotland seem to be missing the point that once the local income tax idea is in place, councils will have full control on their local tax rate and we could see significant increases in due course. The SNP plans seems to be based upon still receiving a council tax rebate from the UK government when in reality there would be no council tax in Scotland. If this substantial rebate was taken away, critics suggest there would be a black hole in the region of £800 million and no clear way to fill it.
There is an indication in the Scottish media that Alex Salmond has been somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Gordon Brown during this ongoing difficult economic period.
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