UK BUDGET DOESN'T HELP PEOPLE IN NE FIFE - SMITH

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 23rd Apr 2009

North East Fife's MSP Iain Smith has condemned the UK Budget as failing to deliver the measures needed to help people in North East Fife through the recession.

Commenting after the Chancellor delivered the Budget, Iain Smith said:

"The chancellor has failed to deliver any of the measures that we needed to help people across North East Fife who are struggling in the face of the recession. The chancellor's dire forecasts for the economy still look optimistic compared to independent assessments, so we can expect things to get worse in the coming months.

"As families and individuals struggle through the recession, we needed to see tax cuts for people on low and middle incomes. Liberal Democrat proposals would put £700 back into the pockets of the vast majority of families. There was a lot more that could be done to raise money from the wealthiest and clamp down on tax avoidance - all that money should be used to cut taxes for the majority.

"The budget will do very little to create jobs. He should have reversed the VAT cut and put the £8 billion still available into housing and green jobs. It is not clear whether the green measures announced today will actually help the renewable energy industry in Fife.

"The Chancellor had an opportunity to give practical help to people here during Labour's recession. It is deeply disappointing that he failed to take it."