THE Labour Party is the party of devolution. Our founder, Scotsman Keir Hardie, promoted Home Rule in the early 1900s, Labour participated in the Constitutional Convention in the 1980s and in 1999 we delivered the Scottish Parliament.

In 2012, we extended Scotland’s powers further by supporting the Scotland Act which, in 2016, will see the biggest transfer of fiscal powers to Scotland since the Act of Union.

In spring 2012, Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont established our Devolution Commission to examine what could be done to strengthen devolution further and last month these proposals were published.

Labour’s report is wide-ranging and includes a number of recommendations, including: further devolution of income tax, housing benefit and attendance allowance to the Scottish Parliament, as well as the devolution of the work programme to Scottish local authorities, which will better meet the needs of local labour markets.

On income tax, we believe the changes made by the Scotland Act 2012 are significant, but there is scope to go further. Labour would therefore give the Scottish Parliament the power to raise around £2 billion more in revenues beyond the recent Scotland Act. We will do this by widening the variation in income tax in the Scotland Act by half, from 10p up to 15p. This will mean that three-quarters of basic rate income tax in Scotland will be under the control of the Scottish Parliament.

Labour’s proposals for further tax powers are designed to enhance fiscal accountability and flexibility at a Scottish level, while preventing destructive income tax competition between Scotland and the rest of the UK which would happen in the event of Independence.

Labour’s starting principle for the next stage of Scottish devolution, is ‘Powers for a Purpose’, with powers devolved from Holyrood to local authorities as well as from Westminster. We believe in a society in which resources are pooled and shared across the whole country, and in which those with the broadest shoulders and greatest resources contribute most to the support of those in need.