[jaxie]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018...ttish-economy/

This was an interesting article and it made me wonder if being able to set their own taxes will be the downfall of the SNP. They have ridden on a wave of strength by being seen as the people party but now are taxing Scotland will that change? Will they become as big bad as Westminster in the eyes of their electorate?

[Cherie]

I don't know a penny on the pound doesn't seem like an awful lot

[Livia]

Scotland get more cash from Westminster per head of capita than Northern Ireland, Wales or England. In fact England gets the least spent per head. So if they're raising their own taxes, why are we still propping up their economy? And what do we get in return? Scorn.

[Greg!]

Originally Posted by Livia

Scotland get more cash from Westminster per head of capita than Northern Ireland, Wales or England. In fact England gets the least spent per head. So if they're raising their own taxes, why are we still propping up their economy? And what do we get in return? Scorn.

Scotland's block grant is being cut by billions sis. Most of the tax we pay has to legally go back to Westminster, hence why they were desperate for us to vote no

[joeysteele]

I can't see how the increase they are advocating is going to impact significantly.

Over the last few years,I think the SNP both under Alex Salmond and now Nicola Sturgeon are doing their best and also doing a pretty good job really.

So,no I don't think it will end the SNPs run of running Holyrood.
In fact if I was living in Scotland,I'd likely support the SNP for the Scottish parliament.

[DemolitionRed]

[bitontheslide]

Us scots are canny people. They may say its all fine and dandy, and then vote what they really mean ... time will tell

[Toy Soldier]

Because of other compensating alterations, you don't end up paying more until around the Ł33k mark, and even then it's less than Ł10 a month more in actual take home terms. This is with a view to better funding essential public services. I genuinely don't understand why anyone would be against having one less takeaway a month in the name of nation wide improvements, but maybe that's just me. Maybe most people would rather pay less tax and live in crumbling towns, and have their universal health care collapse so that they have to pay many times more in private health insurance. Seems like the best plan, really.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Because of other compensating alterations, you don't end up paying more until around the Ł33k mark, and even then it's less than Ł10 a month more in actual take home terms. This is with a view to better funding essential public services. I genuinely don't understand why anyone would be against having one less takeaway a month in the name of nation wide improvements, but maybe that's just me. Maybe most people would rather pay less tax and live in crumbling towns, and have their universal health care collapse so that they have to pay many times more in private health insurance. Seems like the best plan, really.

Exactly!

Scotland give more freebies to its citizens. Free hospital parking, free prescriptions, free home care for the elderly and free universities.
The SNP are all about increasing and improving public services and stopping things like the selling off of the NHS. I would say that all those who voted the tax changes as a good idea… and a lot did, recognize the investment is for them and not a stealth tax as the English government suggests.

Who, in England, would vote for substantially higher taxes in order to maintain the NHS and other public services" According to recent poles, quite a lot.

The Tory party simply don't want to spend money. They can keep taxes low so long as they keep public spending low. The problem with that is, its not progressive and inevitably, everything eventually starts to crumble.

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

Us scots are canny people. They may say its all fine and dandy, and then vote what they really mean ... time will tell

Yeah I do think people will often say they'd pay more tax, for the NHS for instance but the reality of paying more tax is quite different.

[DemolitionRed]

Keep in mind Scotland can't print its own money so has, to a great extent, had its hands tied behind its back when it comes to creating fiscal stimulus. Without fiscal stimulus Scotland can't deliver growth. I think this was a brave and necessary step.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Greg!

Scotland's block grant is being cut by billions sis. Most of the tax we pay has to legally go back to Westminster, hence why they were desperate for us to vote no

Sis?

[Greg!]

Originally Posted by Livia

Sis?

Sis.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by jaxie

Yeah I do think people will often say they'd pay more tax, for the NHS for instance but the reality of paying more tax is quite different.

Well yes, people are generally selfish and short-sighted and so would happily pay less tax, or even no tax, and watch services crumble around them. Of course, the same people would be straight online to rant and rave and call it "a disgrace" when they actually need one of those services and it isn't up to scratch. For example, the people complaining about tax hikes are invariably the SAME people complaining about long A&E waiting times... "wanting their cake and eating it too" is the phrase that springs to mind.

[bitontheslide]

purely anecdotal, but i know a couple of people that have bases in both Scotland and England, and they are selling up in Scotland