Budget 2006 : 'Where has all the money gone?' asks Clive Sneddon
Dundee East Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson Dr Clive Sneddon has tonight (Wednesday 22nd March) criticised the latest New Labour budget as not offering enough to the people of Dundee.
Clive said, "Dundee right now needs sustainable growth, so that everyone seeking work can find a job, while respecting environmental constraints. This budget as a whole cuts government spending as a share of national income, with any economic benefits targeted on the already wealthy South-East of England. In Dundee unemployment has barely changed over the last year; the budget's help for childcare is a start but may not be enough to affect Dundee's unemployment figures.
"For the environment, Jeremy Clarkson will no doubt welcome the extra tax burden on four-by-fours, but as Ming Campbell has pointed out the budget does nothing to address the much more damaging environmental impact of the aviation industry.
"For fairness, nothing has been done to address the gross inequity of Council Tax, which as Liberal Democrats have long argued is beyond reform and should be replaced by a local income tax.
Clive concluded, "The managerialist tweaks to taxation and spending in this budget leave the taxation system as complicated and unfair as ever, and do not help the economy develop in a sustainable way. Shifting what money is available from health to education is a sign of desperation rather than a thought-through approach to resolving Britain's economic, social and environmental problems. Liberal Democrats want an economy that is better balanced and based on honest choices and fairer, not higher, taxes."