TORY/LIB BUDGET AN IDEOLOGICAL SLASH AND BURN EXERCISE

For immediate release 22 June 2010

Greens today argued that George Osborne's first Budget is an act of ideological vandalism from the right-wing alliance of the Tories and Lib Dems, with political cover provided by Labour's failures, and that Scotland will pay a significant and unnecessary price. The party believes that, the UK-wide deficit could be reduced entirely by a more progressive taxation system and a clampdown on tax loopholes and tax avoidance.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

"The pre-Budget spin has tried to persuade people that subjecting public services to an ideological slash and burn exercise will somehow help the country. Quite the opposite: today's catalogue of shame includes further privatisation of rail services and the Royal Mail, proposals that undermine the country's long-term future. Those in most need face benefit cuts, while business will see their taxes fall. The risk of a second recession has grown today, even as the Chancellor redistributes massive amounts of wealth from the poorest to the richest.

"Cuts were not inevitable, nor were they necessary. Greens believe the gap could be plugged with fair progressive taxation and by tackling the £100bn lost to tax avoidance and loopholes. Instead, what we're seeing is the reckless and selfish agenda of the UK's nasty parties - the LibDems and Tories in power are already proving to be a toxic mix.

"In the Lib Dems the Tories have found their perfect 'useful idiots', political soul-mates prepared to help Tory Ministers lay waste to the public sector and squeeze the poorest. Ordinary Scots will pay the price of this fiscal rampage, through the VAT hike, through rising unemployment and frozen benefits, and through significant cuts on public services. The pressure will now be on Scottish Ministers to use their next Budget to protect our economy and protect the poorest, a task made much harder today but one on which they will be judged above all next year.

"This is a classic Tory help-your-rich-mates budget, going directly against the measures the Lib Dems pledged to deliver. The public will suffer, especially the poorest, no question about it, but the Tories and the Lib Dems will pay the electoral price here in Scotland."