Middle and high-income earners could be hit with a near £5,000 “tax bombshell”, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed.
The party said that if John Swinney plugs a predicted £5 billion gap in public finances purely with tax rises, every Scottish taxpayer would pay an additional £1,420 on average each year.
However, the Tories said if the First Minister keeps his pledge that the median Scot will pay less income tax than the rest of the UK, the tax burden would fall on those earning more than £43,663.
To raise the amount needed to plug the SNP’s funding gap, nearly one million taxpayers on the higher rate and above, set to make up the majority of workers, would have to each contribute an extra £4,853.41 a year more on average, the party said.
The analysis does not take into account any reforms or cuts to public services.
The Scottish Conservatives, which will lead a debate at Holyrood on tax, have called for the SNP to rule out any new tax rises.
Craig Hoy, the party’s finance spokesman, said: “Hard-working Scots are already forced to pay the highest taxes in the United Kingdom under the SNP.
“Our terrifying new analysis has now revealed a potential new tax bombshell that is on the way from John Swinney.
“If he is planning on plugging the £5 billion funding gap in Scotland’s finances through income tax hikes alone, then every Scot is in line for a huge income tax hike.”
John Swinney cannot keep taxing his way to economic growth. If they are serious about plugging the huge funding gap they are responsible for, then they must finally back our calls to rein in their ballooning benefits bill and finally make Scotland’s bloated public sector more efficient.
The MSP said “middle Scotland” would be “once again disproportionately hit” by tax rises, adding: “Those who have been dragged into paying higher rates of income tax under the nationalists could face paying almost £5,000 more in income tax alone.
“Tax rises on this scale are not inevitable. But the fact they are even a possibility is the result of two decades of staggering economic incompetence from the SNP.
“John Swinney cannot keep taxing his way to economic growth. If they are serious about plugging the huge funding gap they are responsible for, then they must finally back our calls to rein in their ballooning benefits bill and finally make Scotland’s bloated public sector more efficient.
“I hope other parties will join us this week in agreeing that there should be no further income tax rises and for the SNP to finally prioritise growing Scotland’s economy.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “As previously stated, there are no plans to increase existing income tax rates over the lifetime of this Parliament.
“Any decisions on future taxation will be made as part of the Scottish Budget. Scotland’s progressive approach to taxation is expected to raise an extra £1.8 billion in 2026/27 to support vital public services like the NHS.”