EXCLUSIVE: Roz Foyer said the Chancellor must keep in mind that Scots “demand the means to live decent, dignified lives”.
Scotland’s most senior trade unionist has warned Rachel Reeves that hard-up households need “more than just scraps from the table” ahead of a major anti-poverty rally.
Roz Foyer, general-secretary of the STUC, said the Chancellor must keep in mind that Scots “demand the means to live decent, dignified lives in a society that raises up rather than punches down”.
She added Reeves “should be cognisant of that when she steps up to the despatch box” to deliver her long-awaited Budget speech next month.
Foyer will be among the speakers at the Scotland Demands Better demonstration in Edinburgh on Saturday, October 25.
The event has the backing of 140 civic organisations – including trade unions, churches and charities – who are calling for all political parties to listen more to what the public wants ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.
The event’s key demands include the need for improved jobs for everyone who needs one and greater investment in “life’s essentials” – such as affordable housing and public transport.
The rally will take place just weeks before Reeves is expected to announce a range of tax rises to plug an estimated £50 billion blackhole in the UK’s finances.
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Foyer told the Record: “Working people are crying out for a government that is on their side. If the UK Labour Government still refuses to do what is necessary – taxing wealth, redistributing resources and standing beside working people – then it will be a shameful dereliction of duty.
“The Chancellor cannot be all things to all people. She must pick a side. Wealth taxes and reformed property taxes are increasingly being advocated across the UK.
“STUC research has shown that a meagre two per cent tax on the wealthiest 10 families just in Scotland alone could raise almost half a billion pounds.
“It’s hardly radical therefore to suggest that those with the most assets – big businesses, conglomerates and the wealthy – should share their resources with those with the least but when our public services are on their knees, it becomes a demand rather than a desire.
“On October 25, trade unions, the Poverty Alliance and thousands from across Scotland will be marching in Edinburgh to say Scotland Demands Better.
“We demand more than just scraps from the table and we demand the means to live decent, dignified lives in a society that raises up rather than punches down. The Chancellor should be cognisant of that when she steps up to the despatch box next month.”
Reeves admitted this week she is looking at tax rises and spending cuts, in her clearest hint yet about her plans for next month’s Budget.
Referencing the lingering impact of Brexit, wars and US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, Reeves said yesterday: “Challenges are being thrown our way, whether that is the geopolitical uncertainties, the conflicts around the world, the increased tariffs and barriers to trade.
“Of course, we’re looking at tax and spending as well but the numbers will always add up with me as Chancellor.”
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