UK Parliament / Open data

Scotland Bill

Proceeding contribution from Bernard Jenkin (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Monday, 8 June 2015. It occurred during Debate on bills on Scotland Bill.

I hope that the House noted that the right hon. Gentleman has retreated from full fiscal autonomy to full fiscal responsibility. People do not like politicians playing with words, which is exactly what he is doing. The fact is that he does not want full fiscal autonomy because he knows that it would result in dramatic cuts to public spending in Scotland.

On the question of taxation, the hon. Member for Edinburgh South ought to reflect on the fact that one of the problems identified by his hon. Friend the Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) is that Scotland would be setting tax rates and having effects that English voters do not have for their own tax rates, which is exactly the same argument that we made against the Scotland Bill in 1997-98. He might reflect on how we have got into that situation. [Interruption.] Oh yes, because the Scotland Act 1998 allowed the Scots a 3% variation in income tax. They never used it, but it set up the very anomaly that the hon. Member for Swansea West complained about.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

596 c942 

Session

2015-16

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Subjects

Legislation

Scotland Bill 2015-16
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