Scotland's new income tax!

Notreally I agree, it doesn't go far. That's why you have to make hard and sensible decisions about where you live and what you do with your money. We switched to an interest only mortgage to save on outgoings when times were tough; it was way cheaper than renting and we could add payments back when we could. Hardly ever had holidays let alone abroad, never had big TVs or Sky, never bought the latest tech, bough second hand clothes and budget food. Many people now (NOT everyone, and not pointing at anyone at all) expect to have holidays, new cars, the latest smartphone etc and some can manage to do that on benefits. I've volunteered at a foodbank and people come in after smoking outside and whilst playing on their iPhones, whilst not being able to feed themselves. It should be a bout personal responsibility, but we can't not feed children so we just carry on supporting parents to make poor choices 😢

NRA . You're right, it's not a lot, but you can live on it. And it's just the starting salary with plenty potential to improve if you work hard.

£21k when you’ve a mortgage, bills and a family isn’t much, especially when you’re the only earner. It doesn’t go very far at all.

Of course I've missed the point rather you haven't made yourself clear.

Primal I was referring to many as in "many within the private school system" - as many as 20% of pupils get financial help.**

And again you miss the point - I wasn't talking about income tax, I was on about business rates and the effect a poorly thought out policy could have on the education system as a whole.**

FairfaxAikman

I picked up on the use of many as it is actually very hard to get a funded place at a private school in Scotland.

I think that most people who can afford school fees after they have already paid tax on that money can probaby also afford a small rise in taxes.

Parents of private school kids are paying twice - once through taxes for the state system that they are not using, and once for their fees (and uniforms etc all of which have VAT)

No one holds a gun to their heads to pay for private school.

Lichfield I'm guessing having to actually live on the living wage only applies to private sector workers!

Isn't the starting salary £21k plus? Why are they having to use food banks if the living wage is £13k.

I was complaining about my colleagues' lot.

I told you to fuck off because you're on and on about me personally not because I don't like your opinion. It's your rudeness I don't appreciate.

Sorry, effing off now, as requested. Great people skills, btw - I thought that the whole point of a conversation was to get different points of view, rather than just send expletives to people who don't agree with you. We all have problems, and when you come on a public forum complaining about your lot, expect sympathy, criticism and opinion; if you don't want those, then keep your opinions to yourself.

User, calyx didn't complain about her own wage - don't know why you're attacking her, she said she was coping. You're being very rude, making assumptions and telling her to'cut her cloth'. She did her best to answer your question about public service wages.

I'd agree, if it were ring fenced for NHS, but I've not seen any guarantee of that. More likely, as PPs have commented, cardboard boxes nobody uses and road signs nobody can read 😢

I'll just say to Band 5 district nurses with families to 'cut their cloth' from you then.

My point about the tax rise money going to fund wage rises for NHS being a good thing still stands.

Don't feel you need to come back on for another swipe at me please. Don't know of you saw my request for you to fuck off?

No, I'm being realistic in that you are earning over £30k and complaining it's not enough. Whatever comes off your wage is your choice; if you've made poor choices, then they were your choice. Don't mean to be hurtful, just realistic. I've made many bad choices in my life, and paid for them, both physically and financially.

Username. You don't have any reason to know what comes off my wage and I am not going to tell you. I can say you are being cheeky and hurtful and I don't feel like justifying myself to you. Fuck off.

Hereitis it seems to be an issue with the app.**
I'm not doing it deliberately but if I bold any part of a post it the.* Does it at random.*

Nope, not getting it. Of course pupils with extra barriers to overcome are less likely to get the top results. Also not all asn are dyslexia, would the private schools feel the same about children with ADHD, ASD, multiple impairments, FAS etc? I’m not saying state schools get everything perfect but the idea that private schools are better equipped to support students with additional needs is wrong.
Please stop with all the ** though!!

Hereitis the big I am referring to.**

"Private schools have much more to lose by accepting students who are potentially not going to get the highest results"

And the state system is still writing off kids.* Parents are still battling to get adequate support.*

Calyx surely you must have moved up your banding which gives you a year on year pay rise? Really struggling to see how a single person earning over £30k and feeling underpaid needs "help with Christmas". Cut your cloth; it's what everyone in the private sector has to do (I haven't always worked in public sector).

Hereitis my public sector pay was unfrozen a couple of years ago, and the latest proposal is for over 5%. Many of my friends in the private sector have also had no rises in the last five years, and in many cases the public sector is already paid at a higher rate than equivalent private sector jobs, especially when you factor in DB pensions and flexible working.

Struggling to make sense of your post, and it doesn’t really answer mine does it? I have a dyslexic child of my own, no need for the snark.

Hereitis he still had to sit (and pass) the entry exam.* He might be dyslexic but he's not stupid. His own DSis considers him the smarter one.*

There is a point when it becomes ineffective though and that's when tax take doesn't increase.

That might occur because there's not enough incentive to earn more or there's no incentive to expand and create a job for someone else or you are able to up and take your earning power to another tax regime.

I don't know what level of tax becomes unfair, Lichtie, sorry.