Nationalists' 'tax threat' to Highlands and Islands whisky
Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has hit out at a potential “Nat Tax” on whisky producers which has been proposed for debate at the annual SNP conference in October.
Reports suggest that SNP internal organisations, including the SNP Trade Union group and a party branch in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s own constituency in Glasgow, will push the proposal for a new extra levy on producers when party activists assemble in Aberdeen.
Mr Halcro Johnston, the Scottish Conservatives business and tourism spokesman, has condemned the proposal as an attack on jobs and an iconic Highlands and Islands industry: "Across the world, Scotch whisky is prized as one of Scotland’s great products with a global reach.
“To propose a new levy on a sector which already makes a significant contribution to the public purse but which is just seeing the first shoots of growth in several years, is scandalously short-sighted."
Mr Halcro Johston warned: “If passed by the SNP faithful at their conference, this wrong-headed proposal would have a real impact on the jobs, businesses and tourism that whisky supports here in the Highlands and Islands.
“From Lochaber to Speyside, Skye to the Northern Isles and all across the region, whisky is a part of our local heritage. But it is also a significant contributor to our local economy and one of our biggest exports.
“If the SNP think that the cost-of-living crisis can be fixed by targeting the Highlands and Islands and one of Scotland’s most iconic industries then they are not only wrong – they are a danger to our economy. This is a party who, faced with the big challenges to Scottish households, are clearly out of ideas.
“I hope all SNP MSPs and MPs, from across our region, will condemn this move and oppose it.”
