PEOPLE who benefit from the abolition of the bedroom tax could end up hit by the UK Government's benefit cap, according to Scotland's social security secretary Angela Constance.
Because the 'tax' effectively cuts the income of those deemed to be living with extra rooms in their home, they will end up better off when the Scottish Government fulfils its pledge to use new devolved powers to abolish it.
Now Ms Constance is to demand a promise from UK ministers that claimants will not be penalised by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) when the tax - officially the spare room subsidy - is ended.
Ahead of a meeting with the DWP on Monday, Ms Constance said she would be seeking reassurances over the issue.
Ministers are concerned that when the bedroom tax is abolished in Scotland, the UK Government will treat this as additional income for a household, she said.
She added: "We want to abolish it but what we also don’t want to see is anyone’s benefits being reduced again because by abolishing bedroom tax they end up over threshold for the UK benefit cap. It is not acceptable for the Scottish Government to give with one hand only for the UK Government to take away with the other."
Ms Constance said the Smith Commission and agreements over the Scotland Act 2016 had included the principle that there would be no clawing back of benefits following decisions made by the Scottish Government.
She added "We need cast iron commitments from the UK Government that they will abide by those principles."
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