See this from the Scotsman today:
‘SNP tax rises could harm struggling High Street, retailers say: Finance secretary Derek Mackay’s proposal to increase income tax amid strong signs that local authorities are set to increase council tax has led to the Scottish Retail Association (SRC) saying businesses will have to work hard to attract consumer spending. All the evidence is that consumers continue to be careful with their spending at a time of uncertainty. With income and council tax rises coming in later this spring, along with inflation and potential interest rate rises, retailers will have to continue to work hard to encourage consumer spending in the months ahead.’
First, the Council Tax rises can only be described as such if they are brought in by an SNP council. Otherwise they will be ‘Labour tax rises’ or ‘Tory tax rises’.
Second, remember the budget meant that only Scots who earn more than £33,000 would pay more. 70% will pay less income tax next year if their income stays the same and 55% will pay less than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK.
Third, reducing taxation on the least well-off 70% of the population will surely benefit many businesses. Those who are barely coping spend everything they earn on food, clothing, energy and other basics including a modest level of entertainment. If they pay a little less tax, they will spend a little more in shops. The other 30% who seem to worry the SRC so much, tend to have at least some monthly surplus they can choose to spend or to save and the modest increases in their taxation levels will not force them into cutting back except perhaps on foreign holidays or cars, neither of which enrich the vast majority of our ‘High Street’ businesses.
Talking-up Scotland 
There was a companion piece to this in the business section of GMS today, where the presenter and a business spokesperson made the same points as Mr Peterkin has made here. An interesting comment from the presenter was that, while recognising that the budget did, indeed, result in the majority of the population paying less tax or no more tax than they would had the Treasury regime being installed, there had to be sympathy for those paying more tax because they were important to the economy.
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I’m sure we all are but…
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Article says over £26000. Thought it was those over £33,000 who would pay more.
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Yes, from even the Torygraph:
Scottish people earning more than £33,000 will pay more income tax from next year, following the introduction of two new tax bands and increases to existing rates.
Today the Scottish Government announced new 19pc and 21pc income tax bands. It also increased the existing 40pc band to 41pc and additional-rate, 45pc, band to 46pc (see full breakdown, below).
The personal allowance, the amount you can earn tax free, is to rise to £11,850, as in the rest of the UK.
This is the first time the Scottish Government has used its powers to vary taxes from those applying across the rest of Britain.
Derek Mackay, the finance secretary, said no-one earning less than £33,000 a year will pay more tax. More than two-thirds of taxpayers will pay less tax as a result of the move.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tax/income-tax/scottish-income-tax-rise-earning-33000/
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Figures from The Press Gazette 15/02/18:
Publication Total print circulation (Jan 18) Year-on-year % change
Sunday Mail 140,743 -16.31
Daily Record 134,087 -13.92
Sunday Post 123,393 -13.81
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Thanks to Nana across at Wings I found a link to beeb Jockland figs also, worth a wee look if people have a minute:
https://media.info/radio/stations/bbc-radio-scotland/listening-figures
For the survey Adult = 15+yrs
Total share (against other radio stations):
March 2000 = 10.1%
December 2017 = 6.5%
Total listening hours:
March 2000 = 8,134,000
December 2017 = 5,389,000
Total weekly audience:
March 2000 = 1,087,000
December 2017 = 839,000
Survey area (Scotland) population (15+)
December 1999 = 4,172,000
December 2017 = 4,541.000
The BritNat media did the heavy lifting for Project Fear in 2011 – 2014. The BritNat elites will have to expend a heck of a lot more of their time, energy, focus and hard cash for Indyref 2. – Some of them might just ask themselves ‘Do ya feel lucky, punk?’.
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