Scots Back Land Tax as SNP Manifesto Lacks Bold Reform

**TL;DR About seven in ten Scots favor a land tax on big estates, and eight in ten want those owners to meet climate and nature goals. Yet the SNP’s manifesto stops short of concrete land‑reform measures.

**Context Scotland’s private rural land remains concentrated. In 2012 half of it was owned by 440 individuals; today that figure is 408 landowners. This pattern persists despite twenty‑seven years of devolution and several Land Reform Acts.

**Key Facts A survey of over 1,200 Scots by the Scottish Land Commission found that 96 percent believe further change is needed in how land is owned and used. Separate polling shows roughly 70 percent support a land tax on large landowners—defined as a yearly charge based on the value of land they hold—and about 80 percent want those owners to meet climate and nature obligations.

**What It Means The public’s demand for a land tax and environmental duties contrasts with the SNP manifesto’s pledge to merely "consider a range of strategic proposals" on land reform. No specific tax, minister, ten‑year plan, or public‑interest test is included. The gap suggests the party is opting for caution over the transformative agenda its own branches called for in March.

**What to watch next Parliament will debate the Rural Renewal Bill in the coming months; amendments proposing a land tax or stronger land‑use duties may be tabled, and public pressure could shape the final outcome.