Greens manifesto includes millionaire's tax and frequent flyer levy plans

The Greens are proposing a windfall tax on companies that have made a profit during the pandemic – something which could be levied against major online retailers and large supermarket chains. 

Plans for a millionaire's tax have also been drawn up by the Greens with a 1% levy on property, land, pensions, and other assets above the £1 million threshold. 

The Greens said would “only apply to the wealthiest 10% in society”. 

The manifesto stresses that "the ideal" would be a UK or Scotland-wide wealth tax, but if UK Government consent for the policy is not granted, the Greens "will explore the possibility
of empowering and supporting Scottish local authorities to introduce wealth taxes within their own areas".

The party’s co-leader, Patrick Harvie, said these new taxes would be “crucial, both to fund our aspirations for stronger and better public services, and to build a more equal Scotland”.  

READ MORE: Greens adamant 'unstoppable' mandate for indyref2 will not be ignored

He insisted “taxing wealth properly is now more urgent than ever before”. 

The party has explicitly stated “an independence referendum should be held during the next parliamentary session”, with the manifesto stressing the question and timing of any repeat of the 2014 vote “should be decided by a simple majority of the Scottish Parliament”. 

It adds: “The Scottish Greens will campaign and vote for a referendum within the next Parliamentary term and under the terms of the Referendums Act (2020)."

Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie

Mr Harvie said: "For Westminster to ignore this majority would be politically untenable and an insult to our democracy." 

The Greens have said that even without independence, Scotland should use devolved powers to “take a more active role in the international community” and lobby to be an associated member of the World Health Organization and the Nordic Council – as well as Scotland being granted observer status on the Arctic Council. 

The manifesto points to £3.2 billion the party wants to spend on public transport over the next five years as the first stage of a 20-year Rail for All strategy costing a total of £22 billion and creating 16,000 jobs. 

READ MORE: Greens' Harvie doesn't expect Salmond to secure return with Alba Party

The Greens hope to reduce the cost of rail by introducing a new rail card for everyone who is currently ineligible and subsidise fares for longer distance rail travel from Scotland to England – paid for by a new frequent flyer levy. 

The party want to replace air passenger duty with a frequent flyer levy once Scotland recovers from the pandemic. 

Under the plans, every passenger in Scotland will pay nothing for their first return flight in a 12-month period, with the levy incrementally rising for each additional flight after that. This would not apply to domestic flights linking the Highlands and Islands to the rest of the country. 

The Greens’ manifesto also points to £3 billion of investment on warm and zero-carbon homes, which the party says will lever in £7.5 billion from private investment. 

Development of renewable tidal energy

The party wants to pump £450 million into the renewable energy sector – bringing forward plans for a “new deal” for onshore wind and develop a “world-leading” tidal energy sector which will create 10,000 jobs. 

The Greens have set a 1GW target for installed tidal energy in Scotland by 2030 through “an emergency derogation to allow the Scottish Government to create a long-term support programme for tidal power”. 

The tidal plans will require £130 million of public investment each year until 2030, the party added. 

Co-leader of the Greens, Lorna Slater, an electro-mechanical engineer, is currently part of a project building the world’s largest tidal turbine in Dundee. 

Ms Slater said that a decision by the UK Government in 2015 to cut tariffs for marine renewable energy brought the tidal sector to a “stuttering halt”. 

She added: “We need to invest in this industry, we need to persuade Westminster to re-instate those tariffs or become an independent country so we have control of them ourselves.  

READ MORE: Scottish companies planning major renewables projects far outnumbered by European firms

“In Scotland, we have 25% of all the renewable resources in Europe and a big part of that is tidal energy. Tidal energy is reliable – the tide goes in and out our times every 25 hours from now until the end of time. 

“It just needs that push of investment to make it a commercially-viable industry. Let’s not let this industry go overseas in a way that offshore wind did. Let’s build these turbines here and base our new economic recovery on it.” 

To boost supplies of renewable energy, the Greens want to double the size of Scotland’s onshore wind sector by installing about 200 turbines every year for a decade. 

Ms Slater, said the manifesto was "bold" and "transformational", adding it was "the minimum that Scotland needs to do to keep up with the rest of the world". 

She added: "Scotland must not be left behind. 

"We will create skilled, well-paid jobs the length and breadth of Scotland." 

Proposals to increase number of teachers and cut class sizes

The party’s education strategy includes boosting the number of permanent teachers by 10% and reducing class sizes to a maximum of 20 pupils, as well as an end to “the routine use of homework in primary schools”. 

The Greens want to “reduce the role of exams” and hike up the use of “coursework and continuous assessment”. 

Following the exams fiasco, the party's manifesto claims that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Education Scotland are “not fit for purpose” and “require urgent support if they are to rebuild trust”. 

The party wants to “replace inspections with peer review and self-evaluation" and ensure at least half of the SQA board is made up of teachers. 

The manifesto points to an £895 million fund to restore Scotland’s natural environment including £250 million for “more and better” national and regional parks. 

READ MORE: Greens accuse SNP of inaction over tackling climate emergency

The plans would include creating at least two new national parks and one new regional park. 

The party is also supporting transition to a four-day week “with no loss of pay”. 

The Greens want to expand young person's guarantee to all those under the age of 30s and “to those who work in fossil fuels industry”. 

The party will “support partial replacement of corporation tax” with a carbon tax that “increases over time with our climate targets”. 

The manifesto points to a plan to “replace council tax with a new residential property tax that is related to actual value rather than outdated valuations”. 

The Scottish Greens also want to bring forward plans “banning the opening of fast food outlets near schools” and “support consumer trends towards reduction in meat and dairy consumption” through “ensuring greater choice in schools and other public canteens”. 

The party has also drawn up plans to overhaul Scotland’s fishing industry including “the introduction of mandatory on-board cameras and remote electronic tracking and monitoring systems on all commercial vessels”. 

The Greens’ manifesto highlights the Scottish Government commitment to double the nation’s salmon farming production by 2030 but has warned against the “severe environmental impact” of the industry. 

The document points to the introduction of “a moratorium on the licensing of new salmon farms and the expansion of existing ones until environmental and animal welfare concerns are addressed”.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the Greens’ plans on the constitution shows the party is determined “to force through another damaging independence referendum when all our focus should be on recovery”.

He added that the Greens’ plans would “suffocate economic growth across Scotland”, warning that “hard-working families would be crippled by eye-watering tax rises” that would “crush aspiration and devastate our public services”.

Mr Ross said: “These hard-left, pie in the sky policies are irresponsible, unrealistic and unsustainable.

“The Greens’ economic illiteracy is also evident in respect of their referendum demands with no explanation about the complex and fundamental issues around GDP, debt, deficit or currency.”