TORY tax credit cuts are the worst since the Poll Tax, Nicola Sturgeon said.
The First Minister said hundreds of thousands of working families face losing thousands of pounds.
She said the cuts announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his budget this year were the equivalent of a 90% tax rate for those affected.
Ms Sturgeon attacked the Tories for their continued attack on welfare and benefits.
In her leader’s speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen Ms sturgeon said 200,000 families in Scotland faced losing £3000 a year each.
She said a couple with two children living in a council house one in full time work one part time earning just above the minimum wage each.
She said they would gain £80 from changes in the personal allowance system, but would lose more than £2000 in tax credits.
She said that net loss is equivalent to their basic rate of income tax rising to 90%.
Can you imagine if the Chancellor had told people before the election that he was going to increase the basic rate of income tax to anywhere near 90%.
No-one would have voted for him.
She said it was “nothing short of scandalous.”
The First Minister made announcements to increase childcare and carers allowances.
She said: “I can announce today that we will expand the hours of childcare that children are entitled to better suit their working patterns.
“They will, increasingly, be able to take them as full day sessions as well as half days. And they will have the right to spread these hours over the summer holidays as well as term time.”
She said carers allowance would increase to the same level as Job Seekers Allowance.
Ms Sturgeon said that’s a commitment that will benefit carers to the tune of £600 a year.”
MS Sturgeon also attacked Labour and said her high hopes for new UK party leader Jeremy Corbyn were being dashed.
She said on austerity and Trident she hoped the parties would have worked together.
However she said: “I don’t mind admitting I had high hopes when Jeremy Corbyn was elected.
“I don’t agree with him on everything and I didn’t expect to convert him to the cause of independence, not immediately anyway.
“But I did hope he would change Labour.”
She said so far it looked like Labour was changing him.
She said SNP pressure persuaded him to change Labour policy over George Osborne’s fiscal charter.
She Labour’s position on Trident made it unfit t to govern.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Labour will have to decide which side it is on because I know what side we are on.
“The renewal of Trident is unjustified. It is unaffordable. It is immoral.”
The First Minister ended with a plea for the voters to trust her ahead of the Holyrood elections in May next year.
She said: “To the people of Scotland I ask this. Trust us, trust me, to always do the best for you, for your family and for your community.
“And trust the SNP to always be stronger for Scotland.”
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