A campaign group has stressed that Scottish politicians must take action to help those hit by welfare reforms
A campaign group has stressed the need for cuts to be mitigated.
The Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network (SUWN) gathered outside Holyrood last week to tie in with the Scottish Government budget being agreed.
The group has highlighted that although cuts originate in Westminster, Scottish politicians must work to support those affected.
Protestors came from across Scotland to stand under a slogan of Progressive Taxation for more Welfare Mitigation and organiser Sarah Glynn said it is important that support is provided.
She said: “We are well aware that the cuts originate in Westminster, but if anyone – including MSPs – is tempted to claim that this means it is not the Scottish Government’s job to do more to mitigate them, perhaps they should first imagine themselves saying this to one of the 465 Scottish households a day who are only kept afloat thanks to a Trussell Trust food parcel.”
To emphasise the point, they floated a model boat, carrying 465 paper people, on the icy ornamental pond outside the parliament.
The group has stressed the need for a more progressive taxation system to raise the money needed for good welfare and services; and that this should include replacing the existing system of Council Tax with a Land Value tax, as well as changes to income tax rates for those earning more.
Glynn added: “When it comes to helping people at the bottom of the economic pyramid, it doesn’t even make economic sense to refuse to give the help needed. Refusal allows problems to escalate and generate greater demands on the public purse. But even without this financial argument, it should simply be unacceptable for any government to allow people to be reduced to destitution.”
