JOHN Swinney unveiled two last-minute concessions yesterday in a final attempt to secure cross-party support for his Budget.
Opening a crunch debate on the Budget, the finance secretary announced quicker-than-planned business rate cuts and an extra £4 million in grants to bus operators.
This was enough to win over the Tories, who used the debate to announce their suppo
rt for the Budget, and the Greens, who said they would not back the Budget – because it was not a "green Budget" – but would not block it either.
These final announcements, together with the support of Margo MacDonald, the independent MSP, gave the SNP government the support it needed.
Mr Swinney adopted a carrot-and-stick approach to his speech to parliament, hailing the new spirit of consensus which had helped secure the support of parliament for the Budget, while warning MSPs of the consequences if they voted against it. "It is clear the overwhelming majority of this Budget is acceptable to the overwhelming majority of members.
"It is now the responsible action of all members to support the Budget," he said.
"Any member voting against this Budget is sending a message to their constituents that they want Scottish taxpayers burdened with a record tax increase, with the pain felt by tens of thousands of Scotland's most vulnerable pensioners."
The new concession on business rates came in response to pressure from the Tories.
The planned business rates relief scheme for small firms will be implemented in full from April next year, rather than being phased in over three years.
Mr Swinney said: "From April 2009, up to 120,000 small- business premises will pay no business rates at all, and a further 30,000 will benefit from reductions of between 25 per cent and 50 per cent."
The extra money for bus travel comes in the form of an additional £4 million in the coming year for the bus service operators' grant, a rise of 7 per cent. "This means that operators of valuable local registered bus services will receive around 80 per cent of the excise duty they pay on the diesel fuel they consume," Mr Swinney said.
Iain Gray, Labour's finance spokesman, hit out at the co-operation between the SNP and Tories as the Budget went through parliament.
"The Tories have not only been required to vote with the SNP at every stage, they have also had to vote against improvements to the Budget from any other source, even when that meant voting down amendments to achieve their core demand – funds for additional police recruitment."
But Derek Brownlee, the Conservatives' finance spokesman, claimed the Budget was a victory for his party and confirmed they would be supporting it.
He added: "Today is historic – not because of what they (the SNP] have done, but because it marks the final humiliation of the Scottish Labour Party.
"A year ago, they were a party of government. Today, they are not even fit to be called a party of opposition.
"We have shown how a party of 16 can change the Budget for the better."
However, Tavish Scott, the Liberal Democrats' finance spokesman, branded the Budget a "Con-Nat" package.
He claimed this was based "not on principle, not on the careful stewardship of the nation's finances" but on "the Tories' utter determination to prop up the SNP".
Mr Scott also claimed that the minority SNP government had bought the support of the Conservatives "on the cheap" with a deal on police numbers that all parties supported and an uncosted drugs strategy.
Patrick Harvie, for the Greens, stressed that while the package was not a "green Budget", there was enough progress for the Greens to abstain and help its progress through parliament. "We will not be able to support it, but we will not block its progress either."
Meanwhile, Ms Macdonald derided Labour's approach as "motherhood and humble pie".
The independent MSP for the Lothians added that she had been assured of extra financial help for Edinburgh and would back the package, believing it to be a "good Budget" which would "benefit a lot of people".
