General Election 2024: SNP says it will press for full tax devolution and an emergency budget

The party highlights its creation in government in Scotland of the UK’s “fairest and most progressive” income tax system, an approach party leader and First Minister John Swinney has said he would like to see replicated across the UK.

The tax focus of the manifesto – titled “A Future Made in Scotland” – is the "full devolution of tax powers" to the Scottish Parliament.

The SNP argues in its manifesto that this would:

• Enable National Insurance rates and thresholds to be aligned with the Scottish income tax regime.
• Mean windfall taxes could be levied on the excess profits of companies operating across Scotland (as opposed to the levy targeted on energy companies in the North East).
• Allow for a crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion and promote greater transparency around the tax paid by international companies.
• Support funding for road travel through the devolution of road tax and fuel duty.
• Lead to reform of the VAT regime. The manifesto calls for the removal of VAT on sunscreen, defibrillators and on-street vehicle charging and its imposition on private school fees. The SNP also wants to see a lower rate of VAT for hospitality businesses and changes to encourage refurbishment and retrofitting of existing buildings. The manifesto also calls on the UK to ‘refund’ VAT paid by Scotland’s emergency services.

The manifesto also states that SNP MPs will demand an immediate emergency budget from the next UK government.