Bedroom Tax 'Designed Firstly to Save Money'
Thursday 16 May 2013
A Tory welfare minister has admitted the Bedroom Tax is designed with the main aim of saving money- despite repeated claims it is based on fairness.
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| Lord Freud |
Commenting, SNP spokesperson for Work and Pensions Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:
“Lord Freud has let the cat out of the bag- and revealed the true agenda of the UK Government. But Scottish Government research shows that the extra costs imposed on the public purse mean that the Bedroom Tax won’t actually save any money- as well as being grossly unfair and damaging to families.
“People on the lowest incomes are paying the price for structural problems affecting the supply of affordable housing in the south of England. The Bedroom Tax is also unworkable - instead of addressing the underlying problems, it undermines the ability of social landlords to invest in the kind of affordable housing that is so badly needed.
“The real way for the UK Government to save money is to beat unemployment through economic growth and jobs- which the Tory/LibDem coalition is failing to deliver on. In Scotland, the Scottish Government’s policies are helping to support record job creation. Westminster are using the poorest in society as scapegoats to deflect from their economic failures.
“The Bedroom Tax will be imposed on Scotland despite over 90 per cent of Scottish MPs voted against it.
“Lord Freud’s comments give us an insight into the Tory agenda- no wonder inequality in the UK is growing faster than anywhere else.
“In Scotland we have an opportunity to change, so that we make our own democratic decisions. To vote No in next year’s referendum would mean leaving Scotland at the mercy of the Westminster system, which on any measure is failing. With independence we have the opportunity to do things differently and better - and we will scrap the Bedroom Tax in an independent Scotland."
“People on the lowest incomes are paying the price for structural problems affecting the supply of affordable housing in the south of England. The Bedroom Tax is also unworkable - instead of addressing the underlying problems, it undermines the ability of social landlords to invest in the kind of affordable housing that is so badly needed.
“The real way for the UK Government to save money is to beat unemployment through economic growth and jobs- which the Tory/LibDem coalition is failing to deliver on. In Scotland, the Scottish Government’s policies are helping to support record job creation. Westminster are using the poorest in society as scapegoats to deflect from their economic failures.
“The Bedroom Tax will be imposed on Scotland despite over 90 per cent of Scottish MPs voted against it.
“Lord Freud’s comments give us an insight into the Tory agenda- no wonder inequality in the UK is growing faster than anywhere else.
“In Scotland we have an opportunity to change, so that we make our own democratic decisions. To vote No in next year’s referendum would mean leaving Scotland at the mercy of the Westminster system, which on any measure is failing. With independence we have the opportunity to do things differently and better - and we will scrap the Bedroom Tax in an independent Scotland."
