The SNP’s Budget Bill has passed its final vote in the Scottish Parliament, setting out the Scottish Government’s tax and spending plans for the upcoming financial year.
Green and Lib Dem MSPs backed the government during the Stage 3 vote on Tuesday, as well as Alba’s sole MSP.
Scottish Labour abstained and the Conservatives voted against the Budget.
It is the first time the Scottish Parliament has voted through a Budget since the powersharing deal between the SNP and Greens was terminated last year.
Ministers highlighted record spending for the NHS and councils in the £63 billion budget settlement, as well as reintroducing a universal winter fuel payment.
The new financial year will begin on April 1.
Michael Marra was told ‘Dundee is watching’ (Jane Barlow/PA)
During the Budget debate on Tuesday, Finance Secretary Shona Robison made a final appeal for Labour to support the plans.
She thanked the Greens, Lib Dems and Alba for the “pragmatic approach” they had taken.
Ms Robison said: “This is a budget to improve services, tackle child poverty and bring new opportunities – but Labour so far will not back it.
“It’s not enough to will the ends, you must will the means.”
The Finance Secretary also said £15 million would be made available to help cash-strapped Scottish universities, mentioning Dundee University in particular.
Ms Robison used the issue to urge Labour’s finance spokesman Michael Marra – who has previously represented the city as a councillor – to support the Budget Bill, telling him: “Dundee is watching.”
Mr Marra said the SNP was only able to deliver this year’s budget due to the UK Labour Government’s £5.2 billion funding uplift for Holyrood.
He said the budget fails to deliver the “lasting change” needed for Scotland’s NHS, schools and economy.
Mr Marra said: “Scotland is being let down by an irresponsible SNP government that has been reckless with taxpayers’ money and feckless with your public services.
“Scotland needs a new direction – and Scottish Labour will deliver it.”
Craig Hoy said Scots face a heavy tax burden (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Tory MSP Craig Hoy said the budget was a failed opportunity for the SNP to change the direction of the Government.
He said: “The budget that we are asked to support today could have been very different.
“It could have cut taxes for hard-working Scots, it could have been pro-business, it could have set a new direction for social security, and it could have tackled the bloated SNP state.
“But despite a significant increase in funding this budget imposes the heaviest tax burden in the history of devolution.”
The Lib Dems and Greens both announced their support for the Budget at the end of January after reaching separate deals with the SNP.
As a result of the deal with the Scottish Greens, the Government announced plans to expand free school meals to pupils in the first three years of secondary school who are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, as well as a regional pilot for a £2 cap on bus fares.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Lib Dems secured increased investment for drugs services and hospices.
The total cost of the separate deals with the Greens and Lib Dems is £16.7 million.
Ross Greer said his party chose to co-operate with the SNP (Jane Barlow/PA)
Green MSP Ross Greer said a journalist had recently asked him why his party had not chosen to give the SNP a “bloody nose” after they were kicked out of government with the end of the Bute House Agreement.
He said that doing so would have treated politics as a game, adding: “Politics as a game doesn’t feed children, doesn’t create jobs or protect our planet.”
Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the issue of drugs services was “personal” to him.
He said Lib Dem priorities had been backed by hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment, but argued the government is “past its sell-by date”.