l aLEX Salmond has been accused of exploiting the unfolding tragedy in Japan after saying nuclear power would be a major issue of the Holyrood election campaign.  The SNP leader said Labour was  obsessed  with expanding nuclear power, and had only a paper-thin commitment to renewables. Labour leader Iain Gray, whose East Lothian seat includes the Torness plant, says nuclear should be part of the UK s energy mix.  Salmond said:  Scotland has huge advantages in all other energy technologies renewables, carbon capture, and combined cycle gas   rendering Labour s pro-nuclear position in Scotland an absurdity.  Lewis Macdonald, Labour s candidate for aberdeen Central, said the remarks were tasteless given the continuing emergency at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima plant.  This is desperate electioneering in the face of an unfolding tragedy for Japan and her people.  l THE Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched plans to cut the red tape they claim is strangling business.  Leader Tavish Scott said he wanted a 25% cut in the current bureaucratic burden, and a moratorium on new regulations for small firms in the next parliament.  Under the  cutting regulation action plan , all major policy decisions would be tested for their impact on business, and small employers helped to take on new staff.  Scott said:  Evidence suggests that action on regulation could help create 10,000 new jobs for Scotland. We have the solutions for Scottish business.  l THE SNP says it remains committed to the principle of replacing council tax with a local income tax (LIT), despite the policy s failure in the previous parliament.  Goaded by Labour into saying whether alex Salmond was sticking with LIT, the Nationalists confirmed it would be part of their manifesto next month.  The statement delighted Labour, which has launched a poster claiming Scottish residents would be the highest taxed in the UK if the SNP brought in the new tax.  In 2007, Salmond said council tax would be replaced by 3p on income tax, but the policy collapsed amid doubts over its feasibility and opposition at Holyrood, leaving the stop-gap freeze on council tax as its only legacy.  Sarah Boyack, Labour candidate for Edinburgh Central, said:  The SNP s obsession with local income tax shows they don t get the concerns of families or small businesses. This is not the time to bring in measures that will stop investment in Scotland and lengthen dole queues.  l aNNaBEL Goldie, the Scottish Conservative leader,