STEWART PATERSON
SNP
JOBS/ECONOMY
Increase Minimum Wage to £8.780 by 2020. Business access to finance through business Development Bank. Reduce Air passenger Duty by 50%. Increased infrastructure spending.
TAX
Support a return of 50p top rate, levy on tobacco firms and back a mansion tax and Bankers bonus tax. Encourage higher rate to be increased to £50,000. Full financial responsibility for Scotland.
HEALTH/EDUCATION
Increase health spending by £9.5bn across UK, in Scotland by £2bn by 2021. Vote against any further privatisation on NHS in England. Support the reduction of tuition fees in England.
WELFARE/AUSTERITY
End austerity and increase annual spending by 0.5% above inflation. Scrap the bedroom tax. Review of disability assessments system and reverse the transfer from DLA to PIP.
DEFENCE
Existing conventional Scottish bases to be retained. No further erosion of Scottish regiments with restoration of traditional regiments. Abandon plans to renew Trident missile system.
LABOUR
JOBS/ECONOMY
Increase Minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2020. Ban "exploitative" zero hours contracts. A £1600 future fund for young people and freeze energy bills until 2017.
TAX
Re instate 50p top tax rate. No increase in basic or higher rate of tax or VAT and National Insurance contributions. Introduce mansion tax on £2m plus homes, bankers' bonus tax and Bank Levy.
HEALTH/EDUCATION
Protect NHS budget, use Mansion tax to fund extra £1bn for 1000 nurses in Scotland. £200m cancer fund for best available drugs and treatment. Invest £125m to help pupils in schools in poorest areas.
WELFARE /AUSTERITY
End austerity. Reduce the deficit and balance the budget. No additional borrowing. Abolish bedroom tax, and set up £175m anti poverty fund to tackle food banks need.
DEFENCE
Conduct a strategic defence Review. Committed to a minimum credible independent nuclear deterrent. Work to increase global multilateral disarmament and reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
CONSERVATIVE
JOBS/ECONOMY
Help create 200,000 new jobs in Scotland. Support 10,000 new apprenticeships by 2020. Abolish long term youth unemployment replace JSA for 18-21 year olds with Youth allowance.
TAX
Increase personal allowance to £12,500 and up higher rate threshold to £50,000. No VAT or National Insurance rise. Tackle tax avoidance and evasion. No return to 50p top tax rate.
HEALTH/EDUCATION
Increase NHS spending and employ 1000 extra nurses and midwives. Re-introduce prescription charges. Give head teachers more power. Parent Power Bill to give more control and choice.
WELFARE/AUSTERITY
Continue with deficit reduction plan. Extra £30bn of cuts over two years, including £12bn welfare cuts. Reduce welfare cap from £26,000 to £23,000. Freeze working age benefits for two years.
DEFENCE
Maintain the current size of armed forces. No reduction in numbers below 82,000.Retain Trident and built four new submarines. A strategic defence review to plan for the future.
LIBDEM
JOBS/ECONOMY
Balance budget by 2017/18. Invest in sectors like advanced manufacturing that can provide high-skilled, sustainable jobs, open up the supply chain to more small and medium sized businesses.
TAX
No increase in headline rates of Income Tax, National Insurance, VAT or Corporation Tax. Consider,
Raising the employee National Insurance threshold to the Income Tax threshold.
HEALTH/EDUCATION
Committed to maintaining the NHS as a taxpayer-funded system, free at the point of use. UK-wide plan to guarantee education budget allowing Scottish Parliament to develop colleges.
WELFARE/AUSTERITY
Introduce a 1% cap on the uprating of working age benefits until the budget is balanced in 2017/18.
Withdraw Winter Fuel Payment and free TV Licence from pensioners who pay tax at the higher (40%) rate .
DEFENCE
Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) early in the next Parliament. Maintain the capability to deploy rapidly expeditionary forces. Procure fewer Vanguard successor submarines.
GREENS
JOBS/ECONOMY
A £10 minimum wage by 2020. Roll back anti trade union laws. Limit CEO pay rises.
More public investment in research to create new businesses and jobs.
TAX
A wealth tax of 2% on the richest 1%. Clamp down on tax avoidance/evasion worth £120bn.
HEALTH/EDUCATION
Invest in community run health programmes. Stop privatisation of NHS in England. Support Free university tuition in Scotland and end fees in England. Support vocational learning through colleges.
WELFARE/AUSTERITY
Roll back welfare cuts, scrap the bedroom tax and Workfare Programme. Lift the sanctions regime. Halt roll out of Universal Credit. Introduce Citizens Income. Remove stigma of benefits.
DEFENCE
Foreign Policy based on peace. Halt to the arms trade, disarm Trident and scrap Vanguard class submarines. Leave NATO, cut military spending. Focus on peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts.
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