WITH most of the party hacks still "holidaying" in Glasgow East for the by-election, Holyrood has had all the life of a tomb this week, which is probably why the only real business there involved poking at the body of a policy many people thought was dead.
It was actually quite a significant moment for what is a flagship SNP manifesto promise. On Friday the consultation into the plan to replace the council tax with a centrally set 3p additional income tax, which the Nationalists describe as local, cam
e to a close. The responses that have so far been published, were not at all surprising – almost everybody ranging from unions to business interests to experts and other interested parties, have denounced it.
The only resuscitation provided was from a meeting of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, where Lib Dem and SNP delegates got together to support the principle of local income tax, but not the SNP's centralist policy.
And this is the basis on which John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, now hopes to breathe some life into the corpse by striking a deal with the Lib Dems.
But negotiations have been put on hold until the Liberal Democrats find a new leader and the two contenders – Tavish Scott and Mike Rumbles – have made it clear, along with the Greens, whose votes would also be needed, that the whole policy would need to be almost totally rewritten before they even consider backing it.
However, Mr Swinney and his colleagues were adamant they will press ahead with their policy, and point out that it has overwhelming support in opinion polls.
Which brings us back to Glasgow East. Why is it that the Nationalist candidate John Mason has not been shouting about local income tax in this crucial by-election?
The tax is supposed to be fairer on the less well-off and in theory should play well in a constituency which is one of the most deprived in Britain.
The reality is that Glasgow East shows the SNP plans would probably hurt the poorest most. Council tax benefit is so high in Glasgow as a whole that one in four households do not pay it anyway.
But the SNP plans will take at least £281 million out of council budgets – £70 million or more a year in Glasgow. Potentially a fantastic tax cut for those who pay, but possibly a catastrophic loss of local services for those who depend on them in places like Glasgow East as councils make their books balance.
Mr Mason is a committed Christian whose faith is entwined with his politics and as a result wants to see a redistribution of wealth to the poor. So perhaps he realises that local income tax is not something to shout about from the rooftops of Easterhouse.
