Councils should not be blamed for ‘substantial’ council tax hikes, MSP says

An MSP has said taxes in Scotland are “too low” as he insisted local authorities should not be blamed if they seek to impose “substantial” hikes in council tax next year.

Former SNP MSP John Mason also questioned if the policy of automatically passing on extra health spending from Westminster on the Scottish NHS should continue.

He spoke out as MSPs debated the Scottish Government’s draft budget proposals at Holyrood.

If local councils now decide on more substantial increases in council tax this coming year I do not think we can blame them for that

The Glasgow Shettleston member, who was expelled from the party after posting on social media that there was “no genocide” in Gaza, said he would still back the budget, despite no longer being in the SNP.

But he insisted that freezing council tax in this year’s budget had been a “mistake”, telling MSPs: “If local councils now decide on more substantial increases in council tax this coming year I do not think we can blame them for that.”

His comments came after Finance Secretary Shona Robison insisted that with funding for local government rising by £1 billion in the draft 2025-26 budget, there is “no reason” for councils to levy big rises.

First Minister John Swinney has also said his government’s spending plans “makes it less likely” that councils will “require significant increases in the council tax”.

However, Mr Mason said that as the Scottish Government had “protected NHS funding over recent years” the result was that “local government has faced a real squeeze”.

And while SNP ministers have automatically passed to the NHS any extra cash that comes to Scotland as a result of higher health spending in England – money known as Barnett consequentials – Mr Mason went on to say he questioned “how much longer we should protect NHS funding in this and automatically pass on all Barnett consequentials to them”.

Do we want a country with poor roads, a shortage of houses and long NHS waiting times because our taxes are too low?

His comments came as he told Holyrood he believes taxes in Scotland are “too low”.

The SNP has come under fire from the Tories for increases in income tax imposed on higher earning Scots, but Mr Mason insisted that “both the UK and Scotland have relatively low taxes in comparison with many other European countries”.

He stated: “It is a choice for all the parties here, do we want decent public services paid for by higher taxes? Or do we want a country with poor roads, a shortage of houses and long NHS waiting times because our taxes are too low?”

Mr Mason continued: “If taxes are kept low, a few lucky people get richer and richer, while other hard-working people who are in low-paid jobs and do not own their own homes, do not benefit from that growth.”