Mark Drakeford explains his plans for income tax in Wales after admitting he has seriously considered increasing it

With ongoing strikes in the public sector Mark Drakeford is under increasing pressure to find some extra cash to bring the disputes to a resolution.

But the Welsh Government has consistently said that because there is no more money coming from the UK Government, they can not afford to meet the pay demands of public sector workers such as nurses. In a recent interview with WalesOnline the First Minister said that until the dispute in England was settled, there was little chance of solving the dispute in Wales.

But Wales does have the ability to generate extra cash without going through Westminster. Every 1% rise in the pay bill across the public service in Wales costs another £100m whereas adding 1p to the basic rate of income tax would raise £220m in Wales.