Budget "boost for Highlands" says Alexander
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A budget which "serves the Highlands and strengthens the country" has been hailed by local MP Danny Alexander.
Both Highland MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Alexander welcomed the announcement on Wednesday (19) that from April 2015 the personal tax allowance is to be raised to £10,500.
"Liberal Democrats in Government have already delivered a £700 tax cut by raising the tax threshold to £10,000 – a key 2010 manifesto commitment" he celebrated.
The new increase would, he said, deliver a further £100 tax cut to low and middle income earners.
Other measures announced in the Budget include a freeze on duty for Scotch whisky, further action to increase investment in Scotland’s oil and gas industry, and an expansion of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to help the financing of new routes from the Highlands.
Commenting after the Budget Statement, Mr Alexander said: "This Budget, with Liberal Democrat policies at its core, is a package of measures that serves the Highlands and strengthens Scotland.
"I’m delighted that, following the work Liberal Democrats have already done in Government to give hard working families a tax cut, the personal tax allowance is set to further increase.
"Raising the threshold to £10,500 will mean low and middle income earners will be £800 better off by the of this Parliament than they were when Liberal Democrats went into Government.
"This is a helping hand for families that I have campaigned for in the Highlands and have been able to deliver in Government."
He had met representatives of the whisky industry over the past several months and was confident the freeze on whisky duty would be a welcome boost: "It is a strong signal of support for this vital Scottish industry.
"Through other measures, like investment in our oil and gas sector and support for new routes from our airports in the Highlands and Islands, the Government is determined to keep our economy on the road to recovery and build a new, stronger economy for the future.
"This is a budget that delivers for Highlanders, for our families and our businesses and shows that we are better off as part of the United Kingdom."
