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Published on: 1/6/2009
Last Visited: 1/6/2009
Other documents show that Rifkind was angered by anti-poll tax slogans appearing on bridges over the M8, while his deputy, Ian Lang, feared Scotland's Labour-dominated councils might try to thwart the tax by encouraging voters not to pay it.
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Other papers show that Ian Lang, minister of state at the Scottish Office, appeared preoccupied with heading off political attacks.
In April 1989, he asked for advice on whether councils "would be in breach of statute or regulation if they involve themselves or helped fund campaigns for non-payment of the Community Charge.
The minister is not aware of any local authorities who are currently funding such campaigns but he feels that pressure may come from certain groups within local authorities for them to do so."
A Scottish Office lawyer replied that it was "difficult to imagine that an authority would be unwise enough to organise or contribute to a campaign unequivocally advocating non-payment", but Lang remained on constant alert for mutiny.
Elsewhere, the archive records Crawley's thoughts on the risks of the tax.Flagging up possible controversies to the government whips' office in December 1988, he wrote: "I need hardly emphasise that the scope for embarrassing issues to emerge is substantial, particularly given the political context surrounding that Community Charge.