Scotland’s millionaires would face a wealth tax under election plans unveiled by the Scottish Greens.
Patrick Harvie said he has ambitions for the party he co-leads to be one of government but set a high level of conditions for joining a formal coalition with the SNP.
He ruled out working with Alba if Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence party has MSPs elected next month. Salmond accused the Greens of being “as weak as water on independence”. Both parties are likely to be competing for the second votes of SNP supporters.
The Green manifesto includes a millionaires’ tax — a 1 per cent annual levy charged against all wealth and assets above the £1 million threshold — which the party said would apply “to the wealthiest 10 per cent in society”.
Although the manifesto said “now is not the time for increases in income tax for the majority of people in Scotland” it said there is “widespread consensus that those who can contribute more, should”.
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The Greens are also proposing a windfall tax on companies, such as leading online retailers and large supermarket chains, which have made a profit during the pandemic.
Harvie said the new taxes would be “crucial, both to fund our aspirations for stronger and better public services, and to build a more equal Scotland”. He insisted “taxing wealth properly is now more urgent than ever before”.
There are no figures in the document about how much would be charged and party officials were unable to clarify.
The manifesto also commits the Greens to supporting a second independence referendum within the five-year term of the next Scottish parliament.
This means that even if the SNP fails to win an outright majority it is extremely likely that, as is the case just now, most MSPs will be in favour of again posing the constitutional question during the recovery from the pandemic.
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Lorna Slater, the party’s co-leader, said: “As soon as Covid is under control then I think we could look at doing something, but certainly within this parliamentary term.”
Under the manifesto plans, 100,000 new jobs would be created in what the Greens say would be a “green recovery” from the economic crisis.
Slater said manufacturing jobs on the likes of wind turbines would be guaranteed by the Scottish government inserting clauses into contracts. Thousands of jobs have previously ended up going overseas, particularly to Asia, because manufacturing is cheaper there.
To boost supplies of renewable energy, Greens want to double the size of Scotland’s onshore wind sector by installing about 200 turbines every year for a decade.
The party also vowed to recruit an extra 5,500 teachers for Scotland’s schools to cut class sizes to a maximum of 20. This would allow teachers to spend just 20 hours a week in the classroom, giving them more time to prepare lessons.
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Standardised assessments currently carried out from P1 to S3 would be scrapped by the party and the school age would be increased to seven, with kindergarten-style play-based learning put in place for youngsters from the age of three onwards.
The Greens want to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2026, four years ahead of the timetable already outlined by the Scottish government, saying this would “make a major contribution to our climate goals and prevent deaths from air pollution”.
Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, said: “The Greens are no different to Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP in their determination to force through another damaging independence referendum when all our focus should be on recovery.”
Manifesto at a glance
•Tax of 1 per cent on personal wealth and assets above £1 million
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•Independence referendum within five years
•Recruit 5,500 additional teachers
•Cheaper public transport, with long-term investment in the rail network
•“Frequent flyer levy” on international travel
•Rent controls and a new regulator for the private rented sector
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•50,000 hectares of new, publicly owned woodland
•Close loopholes in the foxhunting ban and bring an end to driven grouse shooting
