19 Jun 2024

Election 2024: what would the Scottish National Party's plans mean for your money?

SNP announces pledges on tax, pensions, housing and more

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has launched its manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election, which will be held on 4 July.

The manifesto is titled 'A Future Made in Scotland', and it sets out the SNP's key policies, including a second referendum on Scottish independence.

Here, we provide an at-a-glance look at the SNP's plans for tax, pensions, housing and all things money-related that could hit your wallet.

We've covered the key money pledges in the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos in separate stories.

You can also find key information from the Green Party, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK manifestos in our story on manifestos from smaller parties.

Tax

Demand the full devolution of tax powers to the Scottish government, as is the case with income tax.
Demand devolution of road tax.
Support reform of VAT to address the current imbalances.
End the VAT exemption for private schools.
Introduce a lower rate of VAT for the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Call for devolution of windfall taxation for companies operating in Scotland to allow one-off windfalls for any sector making excessive profits.
Crack down on tax avoidance and evasion, and improve the transparency of tax paid by international companies.

Find out more: use the Which? tax guides and calculators to find out your current position.

Housing

Demand the UK government restore the £1.3bn cut to the Scottish government’s capital budget to tackle the housing emergency.
Reintroduce a simplified Help to Buy Isa scheme to help first-time buyers.
Demand devolution of Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance to expand the delivery of social housing and to help fund and encourage investment in house building.
Push for an annual uplift of Local Housing Allowance, while ensuring rental costs are taken into account.

Demand the UK government keep the NHS in public hands.
Treat problem gambling as a public health matter and take action to tackle the impacts of advertising. Call on the UK government to bring forward a Gambling Levy.
Reintroduce UK-wide legislation to create a smoke-free generation.
Decriminalise drugs for personal use and introduce a framework to allow Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities.
SNP MPs will call for the reversal of recent moves to stop care workers from overseas bringing their families with them to work in the UK.
Ensure that the War Disablement Pension is exempt from the assessment of income for veterans who require social care services.

Pensions and investments

Stand up for Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) women and ensure the UK government delivers full, fast and fair compensation for women hit by pension inequality.
Protect pensions by maintaining the triple lock and move to deliver a wellbeing pension.
Oppose any further increases in the state pension age.
Reverse the cut to pension credit and call on UK government to maximise pension credit uptake.
Provide full restitution for the victims of the Equitable Life scandal.

Vorteile

Scrap the two-child benefit cap.
End the young parent penalty in universal credit.
Scrap proposed punitive welfare reforms for sick and disabled people.
Halt Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) repayment demands on carer’s allowance.
Scrap the bedroom tax.

Banking and scams

Protect people, particularly children, by ensuring the Online Safety Act comes into force on time and prompt strengthening of these laws when required.

Household bills

Legislate for an essentials guarantee, which ensures everyone can afford basic necessities like food and utilities.
Call for a statutory social tariff for energy, broadband and mobile charges for all who need one.
Press for a significant cut in standing charges for all and removal of standing charges for anyone with a prepayment meter.
Call for a combination of the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation to create a single, flexible fuel poverty scheme in Scotland.
Introduce a fair energy pricing and rebate scheme for Highland and Islands residents.

Find out more: 10 ways to save on energy bills

Which? Money Podcast

Join us on our weekly audio show for the latest money news and personal finance hacks to help make you better off.

Listen now

Transport

Demand the transfer of full powers for complete integration of track and train to Scotland – a fully devolved railway, including full ownership and powers over Network Rail Scotland and with powers for permanent public ownership of rail services.
Promote a fair and affordable transition to zero-emission transport fuels and ban the import and sale of new, non zero-emission buses by 2025.
Remove VAT from on-street electric vehicle charging.
Strengthen incentives to purchase cleaner vehicles, such as establishing a new Low Income EV Car Leasing Fund, to enable 50,000 EV leases a year to benefit low income families.
Invest in safer roads. Will dual the A9 in full between Perth and Inverness and improve the A96, including dualling Inverness to Nairn and the Nairn Bypass. Press the UK government to fulfil its commitment to fund improvements to the A75.

Jobs and pay

Demand the devolution of new borrowing powers to invest in a just transition and that the new UK Government match our £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray to help build on the region’s world-renowned expertise, create jobs, foster innovation and deliver a fair and managed transition to net zero.
Demand the devolution of employment rights and the minimum wage to scrap zero-hours contracts, ban ‘fire and rehire’ practices and take action to close the gender pay gap.
Demand an increase to the minimum wage to at least the level of the national living wage and increase in line with inflation.
End age discrimination of pay levels.
Demand that the definition of 'worker' is amended to strengthen protections for those with unfair contracts by creating a single status of 'worker' for all but the genuinely self-employed.
Demand the scrapping of the sick pay threshold to ensure lower-paid workers have access to statutory sick pay, and scrap the four-day waiting period.
Increase paid maternity leave to one year, with maternity pay set at 100% of average weekly earnings for the first 12 weeks, then 90% for 40 weeks or £150, whichever is lower.
Call on the UK government to increase shared parental leave from 52 to 64 weeks, with the additional 12 weeks to be the minimum taken by the father on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, to encourage an increase in shared parental leave.
Protect the right to strike. SNP MPs will demand the next UK government stand with workers and repeal the Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Act, and demand the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016.
Get full powers over immigration, including the devolution of overseas workers’ employment visas.

Scottish flag with blue sky and green hills in the

Childcare and education

Defend free university tuition in Scotland.
Agree a youth mobility scheme so that young people can benefit from the opportunities that living, working and studying in the EU can bring.
Strengthen children’s rights by demanding the UK government follows Scotland’s approach and incorporates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law, to take a maximalist approach to the protection of children’s rights.
Increase paid maternity leave to one year, with maternity pay set at 100% of average weekly earnings for the first 12 weeks, then 90% for 40 weeks or £150, whichever is lower.
Call on the UK government to increase shared parental leave from 52 to 64 weeks, with the additional 12 weeks to be the minimum taken by the father on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, to encourage an increase in shared parental leave.

Independence and the European Union

Deliver a second referendum on Scottish independence.
Champion for an independent Scotland to rejoin the EU.

What will the SNP’s pledges cost?

The SNP didn’t provide fully costed figures for its pledges but argue costs would be met by relaxing fiscal discipline rules and moving to a more progressive taxation system.

Which?’s consumer agenda

We also recently published our own election manifesto, which sets out the reforms Which? believes the next government should implement to protect consumers.

Better retirement standards, protecting face-to-face banking services and a dedicated fraud minister are some of the money policies Which? wants to see from the next government.

Find out more in our consumer agenda for the government.