Increase in income tax for higher earners ‘fair and right’, says Harvie

An increase in tax for higher earners is “right and fair”, Scottish Government minister Patrick Harvie has said.

With new changes to the income tax regime coming into effect from today, the Scottish Green politician insisted that Scotland had the “most progressive” system anywhere in the UK.

A new tax band, for those on salaries of between £75,000 and £125,140 will see earnings at this level taxed at 45p.

Meanwhile, the top rate of tax, which is levied on earnings above £125,140, will increase by 1p, going to 48p.

Mr Harvie said the Greens had been “leading the case for Scotland’s progressive income tax policies”, adding that the latest changes would mean that the top 5% of earners would “contribute more to maintaining our public services.

Speaking at the Scottish Green spring conference in Edinburgh, Mr Harvie said: “I believe it’s right and fair that here in Scotland we are asking the wealthiest people to pay their share to fund a Scottish Child Payment that is lifting families out of poverty; to deliver a real living wage for all public sector contracts; and to support the services that we all rely on daily.”

Mr Harvie, a minister in the Scottish Government as well as one of the Scottish Green co-leaders, also used his conference speech to call for a “reset” on climate change policy – saying that an “acceleration of action which goes far beyond what has been done before” was now needed.

With independent advisers at the UK Climate Change Committee having recently warned Scotland will not meet its target of cutting emissions by 75% by 2030, he said that “must be a wake-up call for all of us”.

Mr Harvie insisted: “Scotland needs a reset on climate policy. We will need to make fundamental changes as a result of this report, not just to stay within the law, but to shift the emphasis from targets to accelerated action.”

He added that targets “must never be treated as substitutes for action” saying they should instead be used to “focus our minds on action”.

With Holyrood having passed legislation which commits the country to achieving net-zero ambitions by 2045 – five years ahead of the UK – Mr Harvie stressed the need to “increased ambition” when tackling the most polluting sectors: agriculture, transport and industry.

He stated: “This needs to be a shared mission right across the Scottish Government if we are to hold on to the hope of delivering change.”

The Green insisted that the 2045 target was “absolutely still achievable” but stressed this would only happen “if we act now”.

He told the conference: “This is a pivotal moment in our climate journey. It requires a reset of climate policy from the Scottish Government and, as Scottish Greens, we have a responsibility to insist that happens.

“Scotland’s climate targets are important – but only an ambitious acceleration of action can make them meaningful.

“We need acceleration of action which goes far beyond what has been done before.”

However, Mr Harvie went on to accuse Westminster of failing to do enough to tackle the climate emergency, claiming the Conservative Government was “trying to drill its way out of a crisis” and was “delaying the action that will make a difference”.

Adding that the UK Government is “even in the process of opening a new coal mine”, Mr Harvie said: “We can’t leave our future in their hands.”

But he also claimed the Labour Party, which polls suggest will form the next government after this year’s general election, could not be trusted to act either.

He urged people not to “sit back and wait for Labour to take the climate crisis seriously” saying that with the party having gone back on a pledge to spend £28 billion on green policies, its leader Sir Keir Starmer had “already given us 28 billion reasons not to trust him”.