Local income tax leads SNP 'programme for the people'

ALEX SALMOND today promised to introduce 15 new Bills to the Scottish Parliament over the next 12 months, including one to abolish the council tax and replace it with a local income tax.

The First Minister claimed the tax switch – a flagship policy in last year's SNP election manifesto – was not only right and fair, but necessary in the face of the increased economic pressures people now faced. However, the Bill may well not appear until the middle of next year.

The Nationalists will also struggle to win support for it because, despite widespread criticism of the council tax across all parties, only the Liberal Democrats support a local income tax – and they disagree with the SNP on key details of how it should operate.

Other measures set out in the Scottish Government's legislative programme for the next year include laws to set official targets for the reduction of carbon emissions, restrict the display of cigarettes in shops and separate local government and Scottish Parliament elections.

A Criminal Justice Bill, described by ministers as "ambitious and wide-ranging", will have to await the outcome of consultations under way on action against alcohol misuse and plans for new sentencing guidelines.

And after the Government's embarrassing defeat before the summer over plans to merge the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen into a new body Creative Scotland, ministers have decided to revive the proposal in a Public Service Reform Bill rather than face a six-month delay to reintroduce the previous legislation.

Opposition parties will goad Mr Salmond and his colleagues for the absence of a referendum Bill from today's list of measures, but the SNP has repeatedly said it will not bring forward such legislation until 2010.

The Government described today's package as "a programme for the people and communities of Scotland".

A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "Many of the measures directly relate to the issues uppermost in people's minds at the moment, particularly the pressure on household budgets. Abolition of the council tax would help the majority of people and lift tens of thousands out of poverty.

"Over the next 12 months, we intend governing with the same energy as characterised our first year in office, and with absolute confidence in Scotland's ability to succeed."

Acting Scottish Labour leader Cathy Jamieson said the SNP's programme for government should be addressing the fact that the increase in health spending in Scotland had fallen behind the rest of the UK and setting out measures to ensure new schools were built and class sizes started to fall.

The Bills in full

The measures announced are:
• Abolition of Council Tax Bill: introduces a local income tax.

• Climate Change Bill: sets a target of 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

• Health Bill: takes forward measures on tobacco sales including keeping cigarettes under the counter.

• Criminal Justice Bill: includes action on alcohol and rules on sentencing.

• Public Service Reform Bill: includes setting up arts quango Creative Scotland.

• Flooding Bill: modernises Scotland's flood prevention regime and improves co-ordination.

• Local Government Elections Bill: ensures council and Holyrood elections aren't held on the same day.

• Additional Support for Learning Bill: extends rights of parents and young people with learning difficulties.

• Marine Bill: paves way for a new body, Marine Scotland.

• Rural Schools Bill: introduces presumption against closure of country schools.

• Legal Profession Bill: first significant legal reform since the 1980s.

• Arbitration Bill: modernises arbitration law.

• Children's Hearing Bill: strengthens the children's hearing system.

• Legislative Reform Bill: technical measure on how legislation is handled.

• The Budget Bill: Government must get this passed to allow it to press ahead with spending plans.