<\/p>\n
Russell Findlay unveiling the party\u2019s manifesto (pic: DB Media Services)<\/p>\n
Scottish Conservative plans to cut taxes and shrink the state would involve \u201csubstantial cutbacks\u201d, according to a leading think tank.<\/p>\n
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has cast doubt on the party\u2019s \u201ccredible and costed\u201d manifesto commitments that promise to cut the benefits bill and \u201cget Scotland working\u201d.<\/p>\n
Russell Findlay\u00a0launched the party\u2019s manifesto on Tuesday, led by a clampdown on \u201cobscene waste\u201d in the public sector, cuts to income tax and reforms to reduce the cost of doing business.<\/p>\n
To fund the tax cuts, alongside \u00a32 billion a year in new spending, the Tories outlined a plan to generate around \u00a36bn in savings by 2031\u201332, primarily by slashing the benefits bill and government bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
The IFS welcomed pledges to simplify income tax and business rates but cast doubt on the savings, which would require \u201cspecific and potentially difficult policy choices\u201d.<\/p>\n
The think tank did, however, praise the level of detail laid out by the Tories in both the manifesto and its costing document.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking the entire package of measures together, this may be a costed plan on paper but whether it would survive contact with reality is far from clear,\u201d said David Phillips, the head of devolved and local government at the think tank.<\/p>\n
\u201cScotland can have lower taxes and higher spending on some services \u2013 but giveaways on the scale proposed by the Scottish\u00a0Conservatives\u00a0cannot credibly be funded largely through back-office and administrative savings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to the cuts to benefits set out in the manifesto, there would likely need to be substantial cutbacks to either the range or quality of some services used by households and businesses too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy said:\u00a0\u201cWe welcome the scrutiny from the IFS about our manifesto, which is the most comprehensive the Scottish Conservatives have produced for a Holyrood election.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is pleasing they are supportive of our plans to simplify Scotland\u2019s income tax and business rate systems, and that they appreciate us proactively publishing a costings document alongside our manifesto.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur bold and ambitious manifesto would get Scotland working again after two decades of SNP failure and sets out a different way for Scotland after 25 years of a high-tax, high-spend agenda at the Scottish Parliament.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we disagree with the IFS\u2019 assessment that savings cannot be made to the huge amount of bureaucracy that has spiralled out of control under the SNP, which even they have admitted is too large.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the only party being honest with Scots about the \u00a35bn blackhole facing the public finances due to SNP mismanagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the IFS\u2019 independent analysis is in complete contrast to how they demolished Reform\u2019s manifesto, whose numbers simply don\u2019t\u00a0add up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t #IFS #tank #casts #doubt #Tory #tax #plans #Daily #Business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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