SCOTTISH Labour have been slammed after launching a new General Election campaign aimed at the SNP’s progressive tax changes.

Although group leader Anas Sarwar previously campaigned to have a Scottish income tax rate of 50% for earnings over £100,000, his party has gone on the offensive against less drastic tax changes brought in by the SNP.

On Saturday, new tax bands will come in that will see the minority of Scottish workers (around 49%) pay more than they would if they were living in England. For the majority of these, the difference is minor.

READ MORE: Applause on Question Time as Scots man 'happy to pay more tax to cut child poverty'

Divergence begins for those earning £28,850 and above, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission. Those earning £30,000 will be paying £11 more per year than they would in England, while people on £40,000 will pay £111 more annually.

In Scotland, people get free university tuition, free prescriptions, and a range of benefits such as the Scottish Child Payment which are not available south of the Border.

However, Scottish Labour’s new campaign slogan claims 1.5 million Scots will be “paying more to get less”.

The National:

Launching the new campaign, Sarwar said: “Just like the Tories, the SNP is not on the side of working people. Under both the SNP and the Tories, Scots are paying more and getting less – while taxes keep rising, so too do NHS waiting lists.”

However, the Scottish Labour leader has been attacked by the SNP, who have contrasted their progressive tax policy with Sarwar’s party’s support for a cap on benefits, but limitless bonuses for bankers.

SNP MSP Collette Stevenson said: "Anas Sarwar's policies are whatever Sir Keir Starmer tells him – he is now in the disgraceful position of supporting a cap on benefits for the poorest families, but no cap on bankers' bonuses.

READ MORE: Scotland's tax and benefits system more progressive than rest of UK, report finds

“The SNP believe those with the broadest shoulders should pay a bit more to invest in public services such as funding a Council Tax freeze, free prescriptions and tuition fees – which Anas Sarwar’s Scottish Labour Party has failed to confirm it will continue to support.

“Around 80% of Scottish households will pay no more tax next year as a result of the SNP Council Tax freeze and tax changes in the Budget.

“Meanwhile, increases in social security payments have helped to lift 100,000 children out of poverty. That is a government that delivers for the people.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn took a tongue-in-cheek shot at Labour, sharing an edited image of Sarwar along with former Better Together director and Labour candidate Blair McDougall.

“No cap on bankers’ bonuses,” Flynn’s edited image said, as bottles of champagne were also placed next to the Labour figures.

The Scottish Greens also hit out at Scottish Labour, saying: “We should all be proud that in Scotland those who earn less pay less income tax, while those who earn more pay a little more.

“Thanks to changes secured by the Scottish Greens, this year the top 5% of earners will contribute more towards the essential public services that we all rely on. They will help fund things like the groundbreaking Child Support Payment, free bus travel for under 22s, the write-off of school meal debt, and much more.

"It’s policies like these that are keeping over 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty. It’s deeply concerning for Labour to suggest that their priority is instead to give a tax cut to the country's highest earners.”

Elsewhere on Friday, data from the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s Scottish technical committee showed that people with earnings under £112,900 will “actually be paying less in tax and National Insurance overall compared with the year just past”.