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鈥楥an you hear me yet?鈥�

• Brian Taylor
• 11 Apr 07, 03:02 PM

It probably didn鈥檛 help that the sound system failed to function properly at the start of the Liberal Democrat manifesto launch.

Nicol Stephen discovered that it鈥檚 rather hard to look like a polished, prepared statesperson when you have to interrupt your opening remarks to tug at the microphone on your lapel.

Even the Gettysburg Address might have fallen a little flat had Lincoln been obliged to open by inquiring: 鈥淐an you hear me at the back?鈥�

To be fair (that鈥檚 two days in a row, a new record), Mr Stephen rallied. Just in time to face a positive torrent of questions on his party鈥檚 plan to replace the council tax with a Local Income Tax.

Pretty much the same questions as he had earlier fielded during a rather deftly conducted interview on 鈥淕ood Morning Scotland鈥�. (Come on, I used to present the programme: I鈥檓 allowed a cross-genre 麻豆官网首页入口 plug.)

What鈥檚 going on here? Why do the wicked media focus on one thing? Why don鈥檛 we ask about all the goodies in the manifesto? Because, dear reader, we know the difference between a news conference and a party election broadcast.

At the time, it seemed torrid. A huddle of hacks clustered around Tavish Scott afterwards to clarify a few points. (To be fair 鈥� twice in one blog! 鈥� such huddles are common at political events.)

Looking back over the tape, though, it seems rather less dramatic than it did at the time.

I think what鈥檚 happening is that, perhaps for the first time, the Local Income Tax is being subjected to serious scrutiny. People, voters, are totting up what it might cost them.

Nicol Stephen says that seventy per cent of Scots would pay less under LIT than under the Council Tax. Pensioners in particular would gain - because they generally don鈥檛 have much income.

To be clear, the present banded tax on property would be scrapped and, instead, you鈥檇 pay a local tax to your council on your earned income, at both the standard and upper rates.

Unlike the SNP, LibDems would allow councils to vary the rate within limits: they say the average would be 3.625%. The cash would be collected by HM Revenue and Customs.

The snags? This would mean that people in Scotland pay more on earned income than elsewhere in the UK. Critics say that would be a disincentive to investment and employment.

Nicol Stephen鈥檚 answer? Remember that the council tax is scrapped. This is a replacement tax, not an additional burden. He argues it is fairer.

Snag two. It鈥檚 only earned income. NOT income from savings or shares or capital gains.

Is that fair? Might not the rich man in a castle, living on share dividends, escape any contribution to local services?

The answer? Experts advise it would be too complex to extend the new local tax beyond earned income. Again, say the LibDems, no tax is perfect 鈥� but this one is fairer than the council tax which takes no direct account of ability to pay.

To be fair (a hat-trick!), Labour faced very tough questioning yesterday on its proposals for new upper and lower council tax bands - plus cutting water rates for the over 65s.

The lack of immediate detail only whetted the appetite of the wicked media. (See above)

With the SNP due to launch tomorrow - favouring a fixed 3p local income tax - this is developing into the early 鈥渂ig issue鈥� of the campaign.

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