Scotland's new income tax!

[mummyhaschangedhername]

Was this expected? What the general feeling about this?

I’m for it. Husband and I will both pay more but happy to do so.

I think I'm of the opinion that prescriptions should be means tested. I think that would probably be fairer for society over all. Probably the same with the baby box. I struggle with the idea of raising taxes and then giving things like prescriptions for free to people who could easily afford to pay for them (talking higher tax brackets).

But what about the fact that means testing costs a lot to administer, often more than than the saving?

I think I'm of the opinion that prescriptions should be means tested

They already are insofar as people who earn more pay more tax which helps funds prescriptions. Benefits should generally be universal, paid for by differing tax rates. Most efficient way of doing things.

Good point, itsall. It is taxes that pay for the prescriptions and baby boxes etc and the higher earners are paying more tax.

But if it's done on tax codes/receipt of benefits, it shouldn't really take that much time and effort to administer. A quick glance at the internet only found the figures for 2015/2016 but apparently we spent £1.1 billion on prescriptions dispensed in the community that year and the same report suggested that figures will only increase each year (by between 5-10%). The figures for in-hospital were not known at the time of the report although I imagine are likely to be much higher.

I know that public services can be inefficient, it was the bane of my working life as I've spent all of it as firstly a Civil Servant and then working for Local Authorities but given the sheer amount of money we're spending on prescriptions, I believe that there has to be way of making those on the higher tax brackets pay for prescriptions, administering it and still turning a "profit".

I believe that there has to be way of making those on the higher tax brackets pay for prescriptions, administering it and still turning a "profit"

But why? What's the point?

Dinosaur about 90% of prescriptions are for pensioners or those otherwise exempt from payment. Charging would recover very little of the 1.1bn total. Proportionate progressive taxation for higher earners is much more efficient at collecting what they can afford than charging higher earners for illness.

I also struggle to understand why ill high earners should pay a larger proportion to the NHS than healthy ones?

I think that paying for a prescription ie paying a set amount, not paying the value of your medication which could be a huge amount, makes people feel more appreciation for what they get and increases the ikelihood of you thinking about what you are takng and why....... and that you will actually take it and not leave it in the chemist's bag in your medicine cabinet.

think that paying for a prescription ie paying a set amount, not paying the value of your medication which could be a huge amount, makes people feel more appreciation for what they get

If a prescription cost is high enough to make people think like that, it is high enough to put people off getting their prescriptions in the first place which will cost the NHS more in the long run.

Additionally many studies have been done looking at medicine wastage and where the wastage comes from and they have shown that where the patient directly wastes the medicine (which is by no means all or even most of the wastage) it is generally due to the patient not understanding how and when they should be taking and reordering their prescription.

it is generally due to the patient not understanding how and when they should be taking and reordering their prescription
But if they paid then they would be more likely to look into when/if they should be taking it/reordering it.

But if they paid then they would be more likely to look into when/if they should be taking it/reordering it

I don't think.that was much of a factor. As a pp said most prescriptions are for the elderly who may have several medications on the go,.combine that with an overstretched NHS where a GP simply doesn't have time to go through the medications with the patient / review all the medications

There are issues with the NHS, but they are not caused in main by patients

'The elderly' in my aquaintance are early retirees on very nice pensions thanks booking their New Year ski trips. If you mean the over 90s then say that. But the Scottish Gov seem to want a Nanny state.

Ah yes, there’s really no gap between retired people fit enough to go skiing and the over 90s is there? There must be places in Scotland where you would really struggle to find a man in his 90s at all, most are dead by then.

Melony that about the elderly is making me wonder if you are winding us up or just very sheltered. I work with over 65s in Scotland in their own homes and they are not as you describe.

The elderly' in my aquaintance are early retirees on very nice pensions thanks booking their New Year ski trips

In which case they have probably paid more tax throughout their life's, and are continuing to pay tax on their pension. Why on earth shouldn't they have free prescriptions?

As an aside, life expectancy for a man is 71 in Glasgow.

It seems to me that your objections to free at point of use services is purely ideological, not based on any real detriment.

I like the fact that Holyrood has a collection of social workers, teachers, pharmacists, farmers etc rather than a plethora of PPE graduates with no life experience that we have at Westminster.

yy

The low life expectancy is partly life choices - hence I feel a Nanny state is not the way to go.

And they shouldn’t have free prescriptions because the NHS is on its uppers.

You don't sound like someone I would like to know, Melony.

The elderly' in my aquaintance are early retirees on very nice pensions thanks booking their New Year ski trips

Then your experience is extremely limited. Ffs have you not ever met anyone struggling financially or in a “heat or eat” conundrum? There are people, elderly and otherwise in utterly horrendous poverty forced there by the Tories all around us.

The low life expectancy is partly life choices

And they shouldn’t have free prescriptions

Ok, I'm out.

So much bollocks on one thread.

just found this - we're both going to be paying a lot more tax next year. Did you see the rumour council tax will rise by 3% in Edinburgh too?

I'm glad about the tax rises, everyone in the UK needs to pay more tax for the NHS and education to be sustainable but especially because the SNP have for a long time posed as left wing whilst not being honest about the fiscal cost of breaking up the union or using their existing tax raising powers.

Bring it on SNP, whack up taxes and watch your nationalist support melt before your eyes like the castle of air it is...