SKAT Open Letter to our MSPs

Please find attached a copy of our Special election Newsletter that will be widely distributed, particularly in this area.

The central point of this Newsletter is that on top of everything else, this “experiment on our community” is now costing the taxpayers a large sum to keep the private toll.

There is we believe a clear majority in the Scottish Parliament for the abolition of this toll, but it has always been argued that this would be too costly for the taxpayer.

This line of argument has no longer any validity whatsoever. On the contrary to keep this private toll is costing the Scottish Parliament much more in subsidies to the company, and in VAT, than it would do to buy it out to-morrow, even at the inflated price which the company demands.

Most intelligent people can see the logic in the old saying “ when you find yourself in a whole it is a good idea to stop digging”

For MSPs it is time to ask themselves where they stand on this, and what they intend to do about it.

Remember Labour gave a commitment before the last General Election “ to abolish the tolls on the Skye Bridge as soon as practical”

The Lib|Dems have a policy of abolishing the tolls without qualification, as do the SNP.

The Tories gave us this scheme, and this private toll, but even they can hardly support the taxpayer subsidising this private company to keep the toll, at a cost higher than the cost of a buy-out and abolition of the toll.

 Please look at our case, set out in the Newsletter, and take practical steps to have this issue brought before an accountable committee of the parliament.


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Copyright © Ray Shields, 2004.

Most recent revision, 03 May 2004