John Swinney has been urged to act to reduce child poverty
Campaigners have urged the first minister to be bold in his attempts to find solutions to child poverty north of the border.
John Swinney is to urge Scotland to "think big and act bold" on child poverty in a speech, to be delivered as MSPs continue their consideration of the Scottish Government’s proposed budget for 2025/26.
Tax Justice Scotland says the first minister's commitment to "putting in the hard yards" to find "lasting solutions" to child poverty is welcome, including his promise to mitigate damaging measures like the UK-wide two-child limit in Scotland.
However, it warns that fully eradicating child poverty while simultaneously addressing Scotland's other key challenges - climate change, rising inequality and pressures on public services, including social care - requires more investment in the things that matter most.
Tax Justice Scotland, backed by over 50 organisations, is urging Scotland’s leaders to reform devolved and local taxes to enable greater investment in key public services, tackle inequality, and reward businesses that support workers, carers, and climate action.
The campaign also backs fair tax reforms at UK and global levels.
Campaigners say fair tax reforms, including properly taxing wealth at both the Scottish and UK levels, are essential to making this happen.
These changes must go hand-in-hand with making the economy fairer and greener, while ensuring that every pound of public spending works harder to benefit all of us.
On behalf of Tax Justice Scotland, Lewis Ryder-Jones, Oxfam Scotland’s advocacy adviser, said: “Scotland is rich enough to end child poverty for good if those of us who are able to chip in a bit more.
“To help achieve that, the first minister must deliver far reaching, fundamental fair tax reforms to generate additional money, share Scotland’s wealth more equally, and deliver for every child.”
The group said with one in four children in relative poverty in 2022-23, the legal target to cut this to fewer than one in 10 by 2030 will require substantial new policy and spending action.
Ryder-Jones added: “All parties in the Scottish Parliament back the legal child poverty targets, they must now work together to ensure the money is in place to meet them.”
