Scotland's largest union body has urged Scottish Labour to be "unequivocally" pro-worker as it issued a challenge to Anas Sarwar and Sir Keir Starmer on taxation.

The party will hold its annual conference in Glasgow this weekend, with both the Scottish and UK leaders to be in attendance.

Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) general secretary Roz Foyer will address conference for its first day on Friday, and will use her speech to challenge the party on taxation.

Ms Foyer is expected to say that the Scottish Government’s council tax freeze has ‘sharpened the blade’ on Tory UK Government spending cuts and called on Scottish Labour to back STUC tax proposals to raise £3.7 billion of additional revenue through progressive tax plans.

Proposals put forward by the union body include wealth, property and land taxes as well as changes to income tax.


Read More: Councils reject 'bully' ScotGov ultimatum to agree tax freeze or lose funds


The Scottish Government recently introduced a new income tax band for those earning £75,000 or more but has not reformed council and local property taxes.

First Minister Humza Yousaf announced at the SNP conference that council tax would be frozen for the coming year, something which raised concerns with unions and COSLA, the body which oversees Scotland's 32 councils.

Changes to the system proposed by the STUC include scrapping council tax reductions for second homes and holiday homes, increasing the surcharge on empty homes, and higher rates for bands E, F, G and H.

Ultimately the body proposes replacing the current system with a proportional property tax which would see households pay a percentage of the value of their property each year.

The Herald: Roz Foyer

Ms Foyer said: “Workers throughout Scotland have been suffering under a brutal Tory austerity regime, reinforced by short-sighted Scottish Government decisions, that has ripped the resources out of our communities.

“Any party of Labour – UK, Scottish or otherwise – must be unequivocally on the side of working people and build our public services back to a level worthy of our public sector workers.

“Kicking the Tories out of power is the first step. The next is ensuring any incoming Labour Government fundamentally alters the balance of power in our economy. Scottish Labour can help. They can back our tax proposals, hold the Scottish Government to account and ensure we build a progressive Scotland where wealth is shared.

“It shouldn’t be radical to suggest those who earn the most should invest the most into the public services we all rely on. Working people deserve both UK and Scottish Labour, whether in government or not, to be on the side of our public services and on the side of progressive taxation to fund them."