Clause 10
Finance Bill
1:45 pm
Stewart Hosie (Spokesperson (Economy; Home Affairs; Treasury; Women); Dundee East, Scottish National Party)
The hon. Lady has just suggested a move towards road user pricing—something that her party imposed on Edinburgh. I am quite supportive of that in principle. I say that on the basis that I have moved similar amendments in the past, but at least there was previously the advantage of a VAT offset, so that we could fund such a measure. However, she has said that she intends the impact of the amendment to be very limited. She began by talking about rural and remote. She went on to talk about very, very remote and she ended up talking about very, very rural. The problem may lie in the definition, which I am sure other hon. Members will come to and which we have debated in the past. Can she give us a clear definition as to the number of people, percentage of population and percentage of land mass that she expects to be covered?