new independent advisers on poverty yesterday warned she needs to invest “considerably more” in tackling the blight on Scottish society.
The Poverty and Inequality Commission highlighted a lack of transparency over how the Scottish Government spends its money, saying it’s “impossible to accurately calculate” how much is spent tackling deprivation.
Nearly 240,000 children in Scotland are officially recognised as living in poverty, with the number expected to rise.
The report scrutinising this year’s budget demands a faster introduction of a planned income supplement to raise children out of poverty and warns significant tax rises will be required to meet Government targets on the issue.
It recommends the revenue raised should be directed towards extra welfare payments, topping up work and earnings, and reducing housing costs – which are deemed to have “the biggest impact on poverty”.
In the most stark criticism of the Government, the report said: “There needs to be greater transparency to allow more detailed scrutiny of the budget.”
The report welcomes the planned introduction of a new income supplement for families by 2022 to tackle child poverty.
But it said: “The Commission understands that it takes time to put such a measure in place, however ... it strongly feels that many families need additional money in their pockets now.”
Recommending an increase in taxes, it added: “If the Scottish Government is to have any chance of tackling poverty effectively and meeting its statutory targets on child poverty, it will need to take sustained action and invest considerably more than current levels.
“The Government should consider the opportunities it has to raise revenue through taxes.”
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, welcomed the proposal to speed up the income supplement.
But he said: “If we really want a fairer and more equal country, we need a serious discussion about the way that Government raises and spends its money, because the status quo is not working.
"Warm words will not make a difference to people who cannot put food on the table.”
Scottish Labour poverty spokeswoman Elaine Smith said: “This report should be a stark wake-up call to the SNP that their current level of spending to tackle poverty is falling well short of what is needed.
“Their lack of ambition is failing far too many struggling families, who need money in their pockets now.”
