Scotland's new income tax!

[mummyhaschangedhername]

Was this expected? What the general feeling about this?

@howabout I suppose I'm just uncomfortable with getting things for free that we could easily afford to pay for when that's not true across the board and the NHS is struggling.

@Melony6 I worked with a lot of vulnerable families and life choices... we saw the same pattern so many times. Children taken into care because of dysfunctional family life, seeing things that no child should have to experience. No one wanted to adopt them, passed from pillar to post, excluded from school. Got into drugs, crime, prostitution. Went to jail, rinse and repeat.

When people feel abandoned, let down and worthless, life doesn't present that many options. Some of them were so terrified of living on their own and tackling their demons they'd re-offend purely for the "safety" and routine of prison.

Melony does perhaps illustrate a problem with our society though. I believe her when she says that she doesn't know anyone from the other side of the spectrum because outside of work neither do I. I'm pretty sure most of my friends and certainly some of my family and definitely that of DH's share her views because they haven't seen it or talked to people living it and if we want a fairer country then that needs to change.

Dinosaur my concern errs the other way. Charging those who can "afford" it very often morphs into charging almost everyone regardless with the situation as is in England / used to be in Scotland. Melony's wealthy pensioner friends get free prescriptions and struggling single parents have to pay - my DM was one such SP and has been on heart medication since she was in her early 30s so I am speaking from experience.

@howabout I think that's why it should be based (if it's done at all) on tax codes. My FiL and Father for example who both still pay a higher rate of tax despite being for all intents and purposes retired do not need the protection of being a "pensioner" that someone on the state pension and/or struggling does.

When people feel abandoned, let down and worthless, life doesn't present that many options.

I said almost exactly this on another thread recently too, and I stand by it. There are whole estates being written off by the system and that’s an enormous part of, if not the biggest cause of, a lot of problems.

When people feel abandoned, let down and worthless, life doesn't present that many options

True. But as in your post Dinosaur it is often their families/upbringing/ parenting which is letting them down. To think that the gov giving handouts is the answer is not solving things long term.
Supporting people in education and into finding work is a better way to spend taxes. People need to have pride and autonomy. Money should go to supporting people to get off drugs, to find a way of supporting themselves.
I do voluntary work with less fortunate people, some have very sad lives and I feel that it is not until they find the determination to change their lives that things improve for them. They need support to change (which isn't available as much as it should be) not gov money to stay as they are.

Work doesn't automatically solve any problems either these days, even financial problems. Government needs to take responsibility in addressing issues such as cost of housing, childcare, inflation etc. That would help many. I do agree that they need to start investing in healthcare (inc mental health), education etc to enable people to 'help themselves'. It seems that Scotland is at least trying to do something about some of these issues, which is more than can be said about England.