It comes after research shows that 85% of people in Scotland believe that taxes on the wealthy should increase rather than decrease.
Scotland’s Fiscal Commission has warned that Scotland faces substantial funding and spending pressures and says a more transparent discussion on how to respond is needed
Oxfam Scotland is calling for the Scottish Government to replace the outdated, unfair, Council Tax as an urgent priority, replacing it with a modern system that more fairly taxes property wealth.
We're also calling for the Scottish Government’s promised tax on super-polluting private jets, planned for April 2028, to be brought forward by a year to 2027, and to be set punishingly high.
Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland and member of Tax Justice Scotland, said: “When the ten richest people in Scotland are worth more than £23 billion while one in five children live in poverty, we should stop and think about whether our tax system is fair, fit for purpose and able to properly fund the support and services we all rely on.
“It’s clear we need decisive action at UK level to ensure wealth is better taxed but the Scottish Parliament must step up too: starting with long overdue action to replace Council Tax with a fairer alternative that properly taxes property wealth while fast‑tracking a punishing tax on wealthy private jet passengers to come in a year earlier in 2027.
“A tax system that leaves so much wealth in so few hands while so many people are locked in poverty doesn’t happen by accident, it happens by design. And it’s beyond time to design a fairer system.”
/ENDS
For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Oxfam Scotland Media and Communications Adviser: / 07917738450
Notes to Editors
- Tax Justice Scotland is supported by over 50 diverse organisations, academics and economists. It campaigns for a fairer tax system in Scotland, across the UK, and globally that delivers for people, public services, and the planet. Find out more about Tax Justice Scotland: https://taxjustice.scot/
- Read Tax Justice Scotland’s priorities for the new Scottish Parliament here: https://bit.ly/TJSPriorities
- Read Oxfam Scotland’s report, Broken Beyond Repair, Council Tax and the case for a fairer system to tax property wealth, here: https://scotland.oxfam.org.uk/documents/978/Broken_beyond_repair.pdf
- Read more about Sharing Our Wealth, What the public think about wealth inequality in Scotland, by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland here: https://taxjustice.scot/blog/scotland-is-ready-for-fairer-taxation-of-wealth-our-research-proves-it/
- Access the Sunday Times Rich List here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scotland-ten-wealthiest-people-sunday-times-rich-list-2026-zcpcfctmh
