London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 02, 2025

MSPs urged to back tax-raising Scottish budget

MSPs urged to back tax-raising Scottish budget

The Scottish government will urge MSPs to vote for a budget later, that it says will help people most impacted by the cost of living crisis.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said his 2023/24 proposals would also create jobs and help Scotland reach its climate targets.

They include an income tax rise for everyone earning more than £43,662.

Mr Swinney called on MSPs them to back the decision to channel "limited resources" where they are needed most.

Opposition parties have criticised the plans, but the deputy first minister - who is standing in for finance secretary Kate Forbes - said he hoped they would acknowledge the challenging economic conditions.

The rate at which prices are rising has dropped back slightly, but inflation remains near a 40-year high.

In response, the Bank of England increased interest rates to 4% earlier this month, the highest level for 14 years.

Scotland's income tax changes will see both the higher and top rates increased by 1p, rising to 42p and 47p respectively.


While the threshold for the 42p tax rate will be frozen, the Scottish government is proposing those earning £125,140 a year or more will pay the very top rate of income tax.

The lowering of the top rate tax threshold from £150,000 has already been announced for other parts of the UK by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Income tax rates in Scotland, as well as several other taxes, are set by the Scottish government rather than at Westminster.

The increases are a significant departure from the SNP's manifesto aim not to alter income tax rates for the duration of this parliament.

Mr Swinney previously said that the changes will raise a total of £553m next year when taken alongside changes to other taxes including Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) - the Scottish equivalent of stamp duty.

Health and social care is one of the biggest challenges facing the Scottish government


Ahead of the vote Mr Swinney highlighted an increase in the Scottish Child Payment (SCP) and a £5.2bn investment in Social Security, with benefits due to rise by 10.1% from April.

The chancellor had already confirmed that benefits and pensions paid by the UK government would also rise by that figure.

The deputy first minister also said his income tax proposals would result in record funding of more than £19bn for health and social care.

Mr Swinney added: "The budget rejects austerity and provides relief for those in most need.

"It invests in transforming the economy and creating sustainable, high quality jobs which pay a fair wage, while confirming our commitment to future generations by continuing the drive towards net zero."

He also pledged to support the country's 32 local authorities.

Mr Swinney said: "We cannot do everything but this represents a more progressive path which asks everyone to contribute their fair share towards creating a fair, inclusive and successful Scotland that we all want to see."

Scotland's councils are facing a £700m funding gap for the coming financial year


The Scottish Greens, who are in government with the SNP at Holyrood, said the budget "puts tackling child poverty and helping the most vulnerable at its heart".

The party's finance spokesman Ross Greer added: "This is also the greenest budget in the history of the Scottish parliament, with over two billion pounds to tackle the climate and nature crises.

"That includes record funding for walking, wheeling and cycling, a massive investment in helping people make their homes cheaper and easier to heat, new nature restoration projects and more money for our national parks."

But the Scottish Conservative accused the SNP-Green government of presiding over "savage cuts", despite high income rates and the largest block grants since devolution began.

Finance spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "This has particularly hit councils, underfunded and neglected by Holyrood for years, with a devastating impact for services on which we all rely.

"Yet the SNP government has ploughed on with its plans for a National Care Service, for which hundreds of millions has been budgeted although the details about how, or whether, it will work are almost non-existent.

"Almost every expert and stake holding body in the field has criticised the current plans as completely inadequate and the wrong priority while frontline services are being hacked back."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
×