News: Scottish Government must use tax and investment to fix gaping holes in Scottish society

Responding to today’s statement by Scottish Government Finance Secretary Shona Robison, Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “People in Scotland believe in justice and compassion. They know that we need a strong social foundation so we can look out for each other and help people build a life beyond the injustice of poverty.

“But we’re now being left with holes in the fabric of Scottish society that will likely make life even harder for people on low incomes who are already being pushed towards debt, hunger, homelessness, and destitution. That is completely unjust, irresponsible and unnecessary.
“We are a rich country, and our collective wealth has grown massively over the decades. Past generations used that wealth to plan and budget for the public good, and MSPs and Ministers must now urgently use their powers over tax and investment to build a better, fairer future for all of us – and especially those in poverty. Economic growth will not fix the holes in society, unless it comes along with increased social investment.

“We are very concerned about the effect of cuts to mental health support and adult social care. We know that people in poverty are more likely to need that support, and data shows a growing risk of poverty for disabled people. We are deeply disappointed that plans to expand concessionary bus travel to people in the asylum system have been scrapped, along with a return to peak fares on ScotRail. We all need the freedom to travel, but too many of us simply can’t afford the fares.

“Organisations like the STUC and IPPR Scotland have published concrete plans that show how the Scottish Government can use powers over tax to invest billions of pounds every year in our shared society. We can build better budgets that give people the means to build a better future, to create a true wellbeing economy that supports fair work, and a just transition to the net zero future that we urgently need.”