Taxing wealth is crucial to tackling poverty - Lorna Slater


Edinburgh is a beautiful city, but inequality is everywhere and it’s very visible. We have some of the most extreme wealth and worst poverty in Scotland. People who live a short walk apart can have very different circumstances and life chances.
The cost of living crisis has made things so much worse. Household bills have soared and the prices of everyday items in shops have shot up, but for most people, wages and living standards have stagnated.
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Hide AdLast week I visited the Cyrenians depot in Leith, a great community project that supports people experiencing homelessness and sources good quality food that would otherwise be wasted and gets it to organisations that are helping vulnerable people. The operation they run from their small warehouse is really impressive and a huge credit to the team that deliver it.
What they do is invaluable for people and planet, but the good work of charities is no substitute for governments using their powers and resources to make a difference.
One of the best tools we have is taxation. I’m not ashamed to support tax. I’m proud to. We only have to look at changes the Scottish Greens have secured in Scotland with the limited powers of devolution, funded by asking those with the most to pay a bit more to support the services we all rely on.
It’s how we have been able to afford free bus travel for young people, a real living wage for all public sector contractors and a Scottish Child Payment that researchers say is one of the best anti-poverty initiatives anywhere in Europe.
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Hide AdA fair income tax system is important, but it is only one part of what we need to do. It misses the vast majority of the money being accumulated by the super-rich. That is why it is so crucial that we tax their overall wealth.
There is more than enough money in the UK to ensure that everyone can grow up with warmth and security. It is a question of how we redistribute it.
The Scottish Green manifesto will be published this week. At its heart will be a wealth tax that experts at the University of Greenwich say could raise over £70 billion a year. Even a fraction of that could have a huge impact on tackling poverty in our city.
More equal societies are happier societies. They have less poverty, less crime and better health and education outcomes. We would all benefit from that, and I hope on July 4 people will vote for it in record numbers.
Lorna Slater is Scottish Green Party co-leader
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