SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has expressed his fears for the future of the economy in Wales.
The latest Labour Market Overview, published by the Office for National Statistics, has shown that Wales’ unemployment rate and economic inactivity rate has increased, whist the employment rate has decreased.
Speaking in the Senedd during a debate on the economy he said: “What strikes me, as a summary of where we’re up to at the moment, is that Labour simply don’t understand the economy. They don’t understand business.
“They don’t understand the transformative power that a well-run business can have on an individual, their family or their communities. Labour think that they know best and don’t trust people with their own money.
“The Conservatives, in their 14 years of Government, created 4 million new jobs here in the UK, and we doubled the personal allowance for people’s income tax from £6,500 up to £12,500. We trust people with their money; we trust people to spend it well.
“Labour will say they have a plan, and, of course, they do have a plan. Their plan is to tax the economy to death.
“We know that they can’t just keep taxing the economy to bring about any sort of life; you have to unleash the power of business and unleash that transformative power that businesses can have on individuals, families and on their communities.
“We need to invest in important infrastructure—something that the Welsh Government has pulled away from, disinvesting in roads here in Wales when actually those roads can unleash our economy up and down the country.
“We need to invest in those skills that enable people to climb that ladder into work, invest in apprenticeships, which, again, Welsh Labour have not been doing at the rate of other parts of the UK.”
Under 26 years of Welsh Labour Governments, propped up by Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems, the Welsh economy is broken, and it’s families across Wales who are paying the price. The Welsh Conservatives have outlined its plan to fix Wales’s economy, by creating more jobs and boosting growth. This includes delivering an income tax cut, scrapping business rates for small businesses, and axing the tourism tax before it comes into force.
Mr Rowlands added: “Under Labour, enabled by Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems, the Welsh economy is broken. It’s clear that only the Welsh Conservatives can be trusted to fix Wales.
“I want to see a North Wales open for business. As part of our plan to fix the Welsh economy, we would scrap business rates for small businesses, deliver an income tax cut, and ensure the whole of Wales receives investment.”
