Scottish Government has unveiled a tax on buy-to-let property investors

Local government umbrella body COSLA held a meeting of Scotland’s council leaders as finance secretary John Swinney laid our his draft budget, which included a cut of £350m to “resource support” for councils, despite the council tax being frozen for the ninth year in a row.

David Stewart, Policy Lead at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said: “An ambitious National Infrastructure Priority will make our homes warm, comfortable and affordable to heat – addressing both fuel poverty and climate change”.

“This is the equivalent of one pound in every eight we spend being cut by Westminster by 2020”.

Measures in Chancellor George Osborne’s autumn spending review include a reduction of state spending to 36.5 per cent of GDP by 2020, down from 45 per cent in 2010, with transport and energy budgets to fall by 37 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

“We are supporting working people by introducing a national living wage and increasing the personal allowance. The rate people pay next year will be the same rate they paid this year”.

“The Scottish government should perhaps focus more on gearing up for its new powers and getting the best for Scotland, rather than grievance”.

“Complete control over income tax rates and thresholds from 2017 will give it the ability to pay for them, but responsibility for those choices will rest with Scottish Government ministers”.

Reform of social care will underpin Local Government spending, today’s Scottish budget revealed, as Ministers launched a fundamental realignment of spending on this essential service backed by £250 million of new investment.

She added: “Politics in Scotland is changing”. This needs to be a long-term budget.

“Scottish Labour will offer a real alternative to austerity, with different decisions on tax to Tory austerity and different decisions on tax to the SNP’s complacency”.

The Scottish Government has unveiled a tax raid on buy-to-let property investors after blaming Westminster for its “austerity budget”.

Alan Ferguson Chair of The Existing Homes Alliance Scotland said: “Just a day after we learnt that there has been no progress in reducing the 35 per cent of Scottish households living in fuel poverty, the draft budget for ending cold homes is less than was available this year”. More police, lower crime, better schools, tuition-free university education and a health budget that is at a record level.