Scotland's new income tax!

[mummyhaschangedhername]

Was this expected? What the general feeling about this?

[Falconhoof1]

Seems complicated. From what I understand it's not going to bring in a huge amount of money to the government anyway. Good that low earners are getting taxed less but it's not a huge amount less so not sure it'll make a difference.

[ssd]

anything that brings in more money to help services in this country is fine by me

[AgentProvocateur]

I’m happy to pay more tax if it’s being spent on making us a fairer society. As is DH.

[Calyx72]

I am for it. Progressive and fairer.

https://www.autonomyscotland.org/scotland-shifts-to-more-a-progressive-income-tax/amp/?twitterr_impression=true

[GoingIn]

Sounds to me like it's at least going in the right direction.

[WindyWindy]

I'm for it.

Will council tax go up a bit too please. The long term freeze was counterproductive.

[LunasSpectreSpecs]

Very complicated - Scotland has 5 income tax bands now compared with 3 in the rest of the UK.

Much is being made of the very poorest being better off. True - by a massive £20 a year which is going to make no difference to anyone.

I wouldn't mind paying more if I thought that it would be used wisely. Unfortunately given the state of the NHS, education and POlice in Scotland I have zero faith in the current administration to spend it wisely. Expect more baby boxes and translations of road signs into Gaelic.

[aaahhhBump]

We're paying more as a family but we gat the benefits of the free prescriptions and I'm getting a proper pay rise first time ever

[WindyWindy]

My reservation on hearing a summary of it was that Scotland economy needs more private enterprise, so the taxing to give automatic pay increases to the public sector is not going to help an already skewed economy / workforce.
But then my immediate family work in private sector.
My in-laws are in public sector so they'll perhaps see it differently!

[WindyWindy]

Luna, yes I am trying to be positive about how the government will spend it.

My bugbear is folk telling me I can get free calpol for kids..

[FruitCider]

I live in England and if I woke up tomorrow to a 5% tax increase to spend on public services I honestly wouldn’t mind. 1% seems very reasonable.

[Mustang27]

Our council tax went up 50 quid a month last year. Supposedly they did that so they weren't going to do income but maybe I imagined that.

If it's spent wisely who can complain.

[cdtaylornats]

2016 SNP Manifesto - no income tax rises
2017 Green government led by SNP puppet - tax rises

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

TBF I think they have done pretty well considering the cuts from WM they are trying to absorb

[SheSparkles]

It’s a big gesture to try to win over the SNP’s supporters who are starting to turn to labour, and as per usual, is to the detriment of those in the middle who are neither low nor high earners

[Lichtie]

It's a way of taxing hard working middle income families more. The fact they earn more means they pay more tax anyway and are already contributing. Just another slap in the face and backtrack from the clueless SNP.does nothing to stop the tax avoidance of the truly wealthy or by corporates.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Tax is not some sort of punishment It is what we all contribute to pay for the things we all use - people who earn more pay more - really cannot see what is so unfair

[Calyx72]

Of the 2.5 million taxpayers in Scotland, over 70% earn less than £33,000. It's all relative.

'Middle income' taxpayers won't pay more.

Also the SNP manifesto did say higher earners would pay more.

(The more one earns, the more one can and should pay for the good of society. In my opinion.)

[Lichtie]

But they are just putting it up, mid earners already pay more.
And is it for things everyone uses??

[aaahhhBump]

derekbateman.scot/2017/12/15/shooting-foxes/

[cdtaylornats]

What is Scotland short of Doctors, Teachers and competent politicians.

Given the choice of a doctors job in a hospital do you pick Scotland and be about £1000 a year worse off or England.

If you are an incoming investor do you pick Scotland, high business rates, senior staff taxed more, higher costs for buying/selling houses or England.

[Calyx72]

That depends whether you are for the community as a whole or for yourself.

Difference between financial policies of Tory/Labour and those of SNP.

[TheLuminaries]

I'm not thrilled to be paying more tax, but it isn't the end of the world. I am more annoyed by the mess made of FE and police services and the stealth privatisation of local authorities by endless outsourcing.

[ssd]

It's a way of taxing hard working middle income families more

I hate this hard working bollocks, we ALL work hard

[Melony6]

Doctors don’t want to come outside the cities as schools are poor imv.