TRADE unions campaigners have warned that MSPs should 'rob Peter to pay Paul' to subsidise rents for tenants who will lose out as a result of the so-called "bedroom tax."
TRADE unions campaigners have warned that MSPs should 'rob Peter to pay Paul' to subsidise rents for tenants who will lose out as a result of the so-called "bedroom tax."
No2BedroomTax told Holyrood's Welfare Reform Committee yesterday that the Scottish Parliament should find more money from its fixed block grant to fund the shortfall in rent created by Westminster's welfare reforms.
It deducts housing benefit from people deemed to have additional bedrooms and the SNP has been pressed to extend its existing mitigation measures to fully fund the shortfall.
SNP MSPs repeatedly pressed campaigners to suggest where the extra money would come from.
Campaigner Alan Wylie said: "I do accept that with financial mitigation there is an argument for robbing Peter to pay Paul.
"But I trust that if the Scottish Government did find the money they would ensure it didn't come out of any other budgets, and if it did it would have few implications."
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