Scottish independence: Tax powers could be devolved within one parliament

By ANDREW WHITAKER
Published on 21/11/2012 15:59

A MOVE to devolve the bulk of tax powers from Westminster to Holyrood could be delivered within just one parliament, a new report from the Devo Plus campaign has claimed.

• Devo Plus campaign leader former Lib Dem MSP Jeremy Purvis unveiled the report in Edinburgh today

• Report says Scottish Parliament should be handed the powers to raise the majority of its expenditure

• The campaign was launched in May this year to demand more economic powers.

The report called A New Union says that the Scottish Parliament should be handed the powers to raise the majority of its expenditure, with the authority to raise the taxes recognised in law.

It also said that the Scottish Parliament should be “established permanently to that it can only be dissolved if it so agrees”.

A key finding in the report said that Devo Plus - most tax powers - could be “delivered during the lifetime of the next UK Parliament” after the next General Election.

The report was unveiled in Edinburgh today by former Lib Dem MSP Jeremy Purvis, the leader of the Devo Plus campaign.

The campaign was launched earlier this year to demand more economic powers, with a new settlement agreed for the Scottish Parliament after the next General Election expected in 2015