17 November 2008
The Scottish government is urging the chancellor to temporarily scrap VAT on gas and electricity bills to help households this winter.
Stewart Hosie, the Scottish National Party's treasury spokesman, has written to Alistair Darling proposing such a move, the Guardian reports.
He said it is a "scandal" that so many people - particularly the elderly - are living in fuel poverty in a country as energy-rich as Scotland.
"So far, we have seen a lack of action from the London government when it comes to recognising the plight, which far too many households now find themselves in," he remarked.
As well as a VAT holiday, Mr Hosie also called for a reduction in VAT on energy efficiency measures to make it more cost effective for people to go green.
His comments come after the Trade Union Congress demanded a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies, insisting the money raised should be distributed among struggling consumers.