Labour's VAT hypocrisy - Scotland is not safe in their hands

The Scottish Labour Party are hypocritically attacking the rise in the VAT rate, which comes into force today.

We know the last Labour Government had a secret plan to raise VAT - if they now oppose this measure, they have to tell us where they want the extra spending cuts to come from.

David Mundell MP, Scottish Conservative Scotland Office Minister, said:

"Labour left Britain with record debts that people know the UK Government has to deal with to avoid another economic crisis. Their legacy of debt is liable to punish Scotland for years to come unless we get to grips with it now.

"VAT is a powerful weapon to tackle debt and if we don't use it then the spending cuts would be even bigger.

"When Labour was in government they accepted this, which is why Alistair Darling says he wanted to put up VAT. Now Labour is in opposition north and south of the border, they are jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism.

"The question Scottish Labour and Iain Gray face is this: if VAT is not raised, where are the extra spending cuts coming from?

"2011 is the year Labour's last UK Budget claimed they would start cutting the deficit. Now, they choose not to give us answers, but to scaremonger instead. Quite simply, Scotland is not safe in Labour's hands."

Labour are guilty of hypocritical opportunism on VAT.

They must either:

· Admit they would have raised VAT themselves if they had won the election; or

· Say what spending they would cut instead to replace their planned VAT tax rise.

Labour were planning to raise VAT if they had won the UK General Election

But if Labour no longer want to raise VAT – what spending would they cut instead?

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