London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 11, 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
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
Walz Reveals Why Harris Chose Him as Her Running Mate and Reflects on Democratic Losses
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Carney Secures Liberal Mandate in Canada’s Federal Election
Death Penalty Sought as Luigi Manion Pleads Not Guilty in CEO Murder Case
President Trump contacts Jeff Bezos after reports of Amazon considering listing tariff surcharges; company clarifies no such plan for main platform
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
×