Scotland Bill

Lord Brougham and Vaux Excerpts

Wednesday 28th March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Sassoon]

My Lords—

[The Deputy Speaker (Lord Brougham and Vaux)]

I remind the House that we are on Report, not in Committee, so I ask noble Lords to stick to the rules of the Companion.

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean]

I think that my noble friend was going to give me some helpful information. This is an important point. I sense from his irritation that he is getting tired of my making this argument, but I do so because it is absolutely central to the issue. I do not believe in giving the Scottish Parliament tax-raising powers. I do not think that you can have two tax-raising bodies in a unitary state, as it will result in disaster, but that is the Government’s policy and it is being justified on the basis that it will increase accountability. However, this principle of equalisation does not provide that accountability.

I agree with my noble friend and with the noble Lord, Lord Eatwell, that it would not be sensible to adopt my amendment and give the Parliament the ability to fall to the thresholds because of the complexity, costs, uncertainty and difficulties that that would create. I simply seek to illustrate that the core basis or philosophy on which this whole thing is based does not stand up. The Government are creating an opportunity for a substitution for the block grant which has one very unfortunate side-effect—here, I declare an interest as someone who lives, and will always live, and pay tax in Scotland—and that is that we will end up being the highest tax-paying part of the United Kingdom in order to carry out a political con trick. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.