Scotland's new income tax!

@Lichtie I meant

&Lichtie the problem with the bedroom tax is that there is lack of alternative housing for people. If you lived in a 3 bedroom council house that you moved into when you had a young family and are then asked to pay the bedroom tax or leave your home with all its happy memories is that fair. Especially when there is no suitable replacement available. I'm sure people would be happier to downsize if there was a nice little flat in their local area near their friends and their families.
We need a vast amount of social housing built as soon as possible. That should be our priority as nation by which I mean Britain as the SNP have mitigated the bedroom tax and the SE has a terrible housing shortage.

I think the SNP income tax plans are great idea. That said I learn less than £33,000 a year. The national average wage is £27,000 and I think for Glasgow its less than that again so most people will be better. £33,000 a year is footballers wages.

I stand corrected Nyx but i think that those things are spread over many years. And I don’t see much improvements where I live. They are covering hillsides with wind farms true enough which is fine if you don’t live amongst them. Housing? Well probably UK gov are building in England too. Votes at 16, not too sure that is a good thing. More employment, yes but mainly the care sector down our way. We are short of GPS, consultants so NHS not too good. Etc.

I don't have a problem with the Bedroom tax. Why should people expect benefits to pay for them in a larger house than they need. There is a shortage of housing for those that need it, and there are plenty of people not on benefits who live in smaller houses than they need as this is all they can afford.

What have the high calibre politicians (lol) in Westminster done to make people's lives better? Serious question.

As well as spending over £100 million a year to protect people from the worst aspects of Tory welfare cuts - for example they are fully mitigating the Bedroom Tax in Scotland.

They're trying to protect the most vulnerable in our society and deliver the best public services anywhere in the UK.

Record health funding – over £13 billion in 2017, £3.6 billion more than when they took office
Over 60,000 affordable homes completed, with a further 22,000 households supported into homeownership
Free tuition protected, saving students in Scotland up to £27,000 compared to the cost of studying in England
Recorded crime in Scotland has reached its lowest level in 42 years
Prescription charges abolished, keeping the NHS true to its founding values. In England, patients are forced to pay £8.60 per item
16 and 17 year olds now have the right to vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections
World-leading climate change targets met – six years early
Free, high quality childcare has been increased to 16 hours a week for all 3 and 4 year olds – up from 12.5 hours in 2007 – and extended to 2 year olds from low income households, saving families up to £2,500 per child per year in total
More people in employment in Scotland than the pre-recession high point, outperforming the UK on female employment and inactivity rates
Cut or abolished business rates for 100,000 premises – saving small businesses £1.2 billion to date

Can you list the improvements they’ve made to Scots’ lives cos I can’t think of any.

I second that, Nyx. (Also laughing at Westminster politicians being of a higher calibre )

Well, Buttered, if you think Westminster currently houses a'higher calibre of politician' we're going to have to agree to disagree, but thanks for giving me a good laugh on the way to work - unless of course by 'politician' you mean 'self-serving, lying asshole'

"Yes, Westminster attracts a much higher caliber of politician. It offers a different kind of career path and many more areas of government in which to pursue special interests e.g. Defence, which are reserved"

What you're saying is that you think Holyrood is a wee pretend parliament. Well, I think Holyrood is doing a far better job of looking out for the Scots than Westminster is for Britain, or indeed any part of it.

Nyx - By 'political class' I mean all politicians regardless of party.

Yes, Westminster attracts a much higher caliber of politician. It offers a different kind of career path and many more areas of government in which to pursue special interests e.g. Defence, which are reserved.

True - no baby boxes or Saxon signs in England, very remiss.

Lol @ 'good quality political class at Holyrood'. I suppose you'd prefer Theresa May and Boris & co.

I agree with the ‘poorer quality of politician’ comment.
This tax chAnge will make little difference, it is probably aimed at covering the huge tax income loss from redundancies due to the drop in oil price. Many highly paid workers have lost their jobs there.

Scotland can't afford to be known for being a high tax region.

It would be different if we had a good quality political class at Holyrood, but we don't. Bluntly, MSPs have not handled their devolved powers well: over focus on constitutional issues, lack of interest and cut through on eg Education, too many silly pet projects, weaker quality of politician.

The impression given is not that more money will make much of a difference. It will just slightly slow inward investment and have a mild drift effect on higher earners.

User, I wish it was that simple. Perhaps in a very few cases it could solve the issue but I would think tackling the bigger stuff like high inflation, housing costs, childcare costs etc would help many more families.

Goingin yes, I'll probably get flamed for this but more children would potentially get fed if fewer cigarettes and iPhones were sold.

Little, is your extra tax the same size as your pay rise? I thought the tax raises were pretty small, on the whole?

They claim to be removing the cap on public sector pay rises, so I what I will get in a pay rise, I will lose by paying more tax. Despite having had 2 pay rises in recent years, I still earn less than I did 5 years ago - no wonder there's a shortage of teachers in Scotland

Username. My band three, four and five colleagues work harder than their higher paid colleagues (including me). They won't get a higher wage unless they leave and retrain, not an option for most.

Working hard doesn't get someone more money especially in the NHS.

Ahh so the growing poverty problem in the uk is due to people having iPhones and not working hard enough. Glad someone's solved it!

Yes, if you work hard - in any job, not just healthcare. If you want to get ahead in any profession, work hard - are you really advocating NOT working hard? Sorry if that sounds rude, but I'm incredulous that you seem to think working hard is a derogatory term!

Let's hope westminster would take note.

If you work hard. Really.