Tax put to bed

Joe Darby asks how independence offers an alternative to Westminster’s increasing austerity (Letters, 29 May).

In November, Labour’s Westminster motion to abolish the “bedroom tax” failed. It would have passed if about half of Labour’s abstainers had voted.

I suspect this was cynically calculated by the party whip in an attempt to appeal to all bases.

In contrast, Holyrood is set to abolish the bedroom tax shortly after Westminster devolves the power to do so. 

With independence, or the not-on-offer devolution max, we could do even better.

Perhaps this is why polls consistently show that two-thirds of Scots want Holyrood, not Westminster, to control taxation and benefits.

Iain Nicol

Yeaman Place

Edinburgh