Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan has attacked the legal loopholes that allow Britain's richest billionaires and their companies to avoid taxes of £97-150 billion.  Speaking on his weekly radio show on Talk107, the Glasgow MSP revealed that the poorest 10% of scots pay 38% of their income in direct and indirect taxes while Britain's 54 billionaires pay on average only 0.14%:

"We see adverts and posters everywhere asking us to shop in a benefit cheat, yet the richest people can legally cheat the public purse through organised tax avoidance schemes.  Meanwhile banks who make billions in profits illegally charge customers extremely high charges for very basic services."

The Co-Convenor of Scotland's fastest growing political party criticised the SNP's vision of a low tax, business friendly Scotland.  In speeches at the SNP conference yesterday the nationalists announced "efficiency savings" in local authorities of 1.5% per year as well as a cut in business taxes.

Sunday Morning with Citizen Tommy is broadcast at www.talk107.co.uk every Sunday from 10.00am-1.00pm.

"Only a socialist Scotland can provide the real freedom that Scottish people need.  The SNP want to give businesses more tax breaks while doing nothing about the shocking avoidance of tax and penalties on the poor.  Now that directors of the Royal Bank and multi-millionaires like Tom Farmer and Brian Soutar are supporting the SNP it is clear that their vision is of a low-wage, 'business friendly' Scotland.  Efficiency savings, as we know, means cuts in public services, under the SNP vital local authority services will be cut to allow business owners to keep more money in their pockets."

Sunday Morning with Citizen Tommy is broadcast at www.talk107.co.uk every Sunday from 10.00am-1.00pm.