SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
Press Release: 22/09/05
SSP opposes business rates cuts of £200 million Just £46 million could have abolished NHS prescription charges
The Scottish Socialist Party has today pledged itself to be the only party contesting the Cathcart by-election that is opposed to the lowering of Scottish business rates.
With a week to go before polling day, the SSP candidate in Cathcart, Ronnie Stevenson, has told a meeting of SSP campaigners in the constituency that all the establishment political parties are falling over themselves to gift cash to the business community with the SSP being the only party to oppose the handouts.
Scottish Socialist Party candidate Ronnie Stevenson said today; “Jack McConnell suddenly managed to find a spare £200 million to hand out to his big business backers and now the other establishment politicians are outdoing themselves with demands for even more jackpots for Scottish businesses.
“Handouts to the business community come at a time when the Scottish Executive says that it cannot afford to abolish NHS Prescription charges, a measure that would cost a mere £46 million and yet would have a massive impact on Scotland’s low paid and chronically sick.
“The voters of Cathcart will want to know in whose interests Labour is running Scotland; the businesses who care only of profits or the working class people who voted Labour in the belief that they would represent the interests of the millions, not the millionaires.
“At a time when voters in Cathcart are being bombarded by the establishment parties making vague promises to one day do something to deal with the iniquities in Scottish life, the SSP has laid three Bills before the Scottish Parliament to abolish the council tax, provide free school meals and abolish prescription charges.
“While the establishment parties fall over themselves to hand out cash to big business it is the SSP which is at the forefront of the battle to transform the lives of Scotland’s low paid workers, children, pensioners and chronically sick.”
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