Date: 23 March 2011

Tax cuts for rich businesses isn’t much of a strategy – UNISON Scotland budget response

UNISON Scotland has slammed Osborne’s decision to cut corporation tax for rich businesses, claiming the focus should be on collecting taxes not cutting them.

The union branded Osborne’s ‘no budge budget’ as a missed opportunity to right Tory economic wrongs.

By passing up the chance to scale back the savage public spending cuts, the Tories are condemning the economy to long-term low growth and high unemployment.

UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, Mike Kirby, said: “Tax cuts for rich businesses that don’t pay their taxes at the moment isn’t much of a strategy.

“Each year, billions of pounds are lost to the economy due to tax avoidance by rich businesses. Our members already pay their taxes through PAYE and the Chancellor should be focussing on collecting the taxes of those who don’t.

“In order to build a fairer, more sustainable society we need fair taxation and tough measures in place to combat tax avoidance. However, this budget will see the most vulnerable in our society paying the price for the bankers’ mistakes as they watch the public services they rely on disappear.”

UNISON is calling for a change of direction and a budget for growth including a Robin Hood Tax. This tax on the banks would add £20 billion to the public purse – twenty times the measures the Chancellor announced today to close tax loopholes.

Twenty billion would save local services from shut down, keep children’s nurseries open, stop hospital’s shedding jobs and save adult day centres from closure.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1.UNISON is Scotland’s largest union. For more information on our campaign to protect public services visit: www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks.

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