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WISHART WELCOMES PROPOSED BAN ON PURSUING POLL TAX DEBT
The Scottish National Party’s Mr Pete Wishart MP, Member of Parliament for Perth & South Perthshire has welcomed news that the First Minister has announced plans to bring forward legislation to ensure councils can take no further action to recover ancient poll tax debts.
Mr Wishart said:
“This welcome announcement from the First Minister comes after it become clear that a number of Councils have been using the increased number of people signing up for the electoral register to pursue poll tax debts from over 20 years ago.
“As the First Minister rightly said, the Poll Tax is dead and buried. It was unfair and iniquitous then and it is unfair and iniquitous now.
“The fact that those who were chased away from the political process – and remember we are talking about the very poorest sectors of society here – became re-engaged during the referendum debate should be a cause for delight, not an opportunity to slap them right back down again.
“I am confident that my SNP colleagues on Perth & Kinross Council would not have countenanced such a move here but it is absolutely right that it is made clear that, while current information can and should be used to enforce current liabilities, there is no good purpose served in bringing back the spectre of the Poll Tax.”
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