Punitive Policy has Cost Scotland £419m
The SNP has challenged Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves to scrap the Bedroom Tax at the UK budget on 30th October, with research showing that more than half a million households are being hit by the punitive Labour government policy.
Recent analysis revealed 507,001 of the poorest households had their benefits cut as a result of the Bedroom Tax last year, including almost 100,000 in Scotland.
On average, the UK government policy cut the incomes of affected households by £930 each per year.
In total, the Bedroom Tax cost households in Scotland around £81.8million in 2023/24, with families across Great Britain being hit to the tune of £468.6million.
The research found households in Scotland are more than twice as likely to be hit by the Bedroom Tax than those in England, with 15% of housing benefit claimants affected in Scotland compared to 6% in England.
The analysis shows the UK government policy cost the Scottish Government more than £70 million to mitigate last year, and a total of more than £419 million since 2017. This is money that could otherwise be spent on further action to reduce poverty.