Now Scotland wants tax breaks to bail out
struggling oil industry... just four months after Salmond said North Sea would
bankroll his independence dream
·
Price of a
barrel of Brent crude has more than halved since June to $48
·
Dramatic fall
undermines SNP claim that oil would make Scotland rich
·
Now Scottish
ministers are demanding UK government steps in
·
Chancellor
George Osborne under pressure ahead of Budget in March
·
Oil expert
Sir Ian Wood says taxes should be cut by up to 10%
·
Tories
condemn SNP 'deceit' that the price of oil would rise and rise
The Scottish government is demanding tax cuts to bailout the oil industry, just four months after claiming that booming North Sea reserves would bankroll independence.
The move has been ridiculed by
supporters of the Union, who point out that if voters had backed independence
in September the country would not be in crisis.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude –
the global benchmark – has more than halved since June to around $48 (£31.50).
Experts predict it could fall as low as $31 (£20.44) by April.
The weak oil price seriously undermines
the claim by the SNP's Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon nationalists that an
independent Scotland could rely on its natural resources.
Scotland's Energy Minister last night
issued a demand for new tax breaks to shore up the industry, after BP announced
it was cutting 200 onshore workers and 100 contractor roles from its 3,500
staff in the North Sea.
Mr Ewing said: 'It is clear to me that
the UK Government has accepted it must act on tax. My question is why wait in respect
of the supplementary charge until March
'This is the most serious jobs
situation Scotland has faced in living memory.'
But rival parties have this week
condemned the SNP for demanding help from Westminster just months after wanting
to sever ties with the rest of the UK.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth
Davidson said: 'The SNP told the people of Scotland the price of oil would rise
and rise - that was a deceit.
'No end of experts pointed out the many
flaws in this fanciful policy, but they were dismissed by the Scottish
Government as scaremongering.
'In the last few weeks we've seen just
how volatile the price of oil really is.'
