• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Sceptical Scot

Asking Questions. Seeking Answers.

You are here: Home / Archives for fiscal framework

fiscal framework

Tax policy in Holyrood 5

March 27, 2021 by David Eiser 1 Comment

The author, fiscal expert at FAI, examines the tax changes designed to achieve greater fairness made in the fifth Scottish Parliament – and the scope for reform and greater powers in the next.

Spending Review 2020 and Scotland

November 28, 2020 by Fraser of Allander Institute Leave a Comment

A dazzling dawn over Loch Rusky, Image by John McSporran Creative Commons

‘The scheme will apparently operate ‘UK wide, using the new financial assistance powers in the UK Internal Market Bill’. Whilst the fine details are awaited, the lack of explicit reference to the devolved governments will antagonise intergovernmental relations in area where tensions are already running high.’

GERS, COVID and Scottish independence

August 29, 2020 by John McLaren 2 Comments

“This lack of economic engagement by senior SNP Ministers remains a weakness for the independence message on the economy. Such a policy vacuum in a key area of the independence debate may be manageable when minds are focussed elsewhere but if a Second Referendum were to become a reality then it would soon turn into a significant weak point in the pro-independence argument.”

GERS 2019 and indyref2

August 22, 2019 by John McLaren 1 Comment

A small ship, hopelessly at sea

‘The comment by the Scottish Finance Secretary at the time of publication that “Scotland’s economy and public finances are strong” seems fanciful given any reasonable analysis of recent low economic growth figures and a still high, by international standards, fiscal deficit.’

MSPs miss the bigger picture

June 20, 2019 by Sam Smith Leave a Comment

MSPs on finance committee debate the Scottish Budget: ‘Coming in the midst of the parliament’s 20th anniversary celebrations, this was not a good advert for parliamentary effectiveness in holding the government to account’.

VAT assignment – bridge too far for fiscal devolution?

December 9, 2018 by Fraser of Allander Institute Leave a Comment

A key aim of the Smith Commission was to improve accountability and make Scotland’s politicians responsible for the money that they spent. Unfortunately rather than helping to deliver this aim, the current proposals for VAT assignment risk undermining that principle.

Funding the Scottish budget deal

February 6, 2018 by Fraser of Allander Institute Leave a Comment

‘Whilst there is clearly a negotiating advantage in the government holding back some monies as part of their tactics to get the Budget Bill through, one can see MSPs from now on assuming that £100 million is a useful ballpark for the amount the government may have ready to hand to push through a deal’.

Why do Scottish v UK growth forecasts differ?

January 18, 2018 by David Eiser 1 Comment

‘On balance, the SFC’s GDP forecasts are not out of kilter with the recent past. And the SFC assumes that there will be no ‘bounce-back’ in Scottish growth to recapture weak growth relative to the UK over the past 2.5 years’.

Tale of two tax reforms: Scotland v USA

December 22, 2017 by Jackie Kemp Leave a Comment

‘While the Scottish government is introducing more progressive taxes, the US is in the process of passing a controversial bill which cuts tax bigly for the rich’. Jackie Kemp, now based in Boston, Mass., saees merits in both systems…

Budget blues or bliss – and for whom?

December 11, 2017 by David Eiser Leave a Comment

‘Under the Scottish Government’s proposed income tax policy, everyone earning under £33k will pay less tax in 2018/19 than they did this year (2017/18). BUT part of this is due to the increase in Personal Allowance, which would have happened anyway, i.e. irrespective of any announcement made by Mr Mackay today.’

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

About Sceptical Scot

Welcome to Sceptical Scot, Scotland’s premier non-tribal forum for passionate, informed debate. Sceptical Scot is for all who care about Scotland’s future, regardless of how they vote: for party, independence or union, EU or Brexit. We aim to provide an arena that is both broader and deeper than current online/print offers with a rich diet of well-researched, polemical, thought-provoking writing. Read more » about About Sceptical Scot

What’s new on Sceptical Scot

  • Can Scotland enjoy a ‘velvet divorce’ from UK? January 11, 2023
  • Should Wales leave the UK? December 16, 2022
  • Swinney should use his fiscal powers to the full: Update December 12, 2022
  • The SNP’s new fundamentalism December 6, 2022
  • A voluntary union with no exit? November 25, 2022
  • Unhelpful clarifications on #indyref2 November 24, 2022
  • It’s time to talk to the neighbours November 21, 2022
  • A monetary straitjacket: Scottish Government economic plan for independence November 3, 2022
  • Can muscular unionism save the Union? November 3, 2022
  • The left must abandon high tax policies October 25, 2022

The Sceptical Newsletter

The Sceptical Scot cartoon

A small ship, hopelessly at sea

Categories

  • Articles (656)
  • Blog (534)
  • Books & Poetry (26)
  • Brexit (204)
  • climate crisis (27)
  • climate crisis (5)
  • Covid19 (65)
  • Criminal justice (17)
  • Culture (303)
  • Devo20 (1)
  • Economics (189)
  • Economy (104)
  • Education (75)
  • Elections (187)
  • Environment (65)
  • European Union (256)
  • Featured (41)
  • Federalism (17)
  • federalism (13)
  • Health (63)
  • History (68)
  • Housing (23)
  • Humour (10)
  • identity (13)
  • Independence (272)
  • Inequality (76)
  • International (34)
  • Ireland (7)
  • Ireland (6)
  • Local government (81)
  • Longer reads (71)
  • Media (9)
  • Podcast (3)
  • Poetry (72)
  • Policy (211)
  • Politics (332)
  • Polls and quizzes (1)
  • Reviews (24)
  • Social democracy (84)
  • Trump (10)
  • UK (338)
  • Uncategorized (6)

Sceptical Scot elsewhere

Facebook
Twitter

Footer

About Sceptical Scot

Since 2014 Sceptical Scot has offered a non-tribal forum for passionate, informed debate for all who care about Scotland’s future

Recommended

  • Bella Caledonia
  • Centre on Constitutional Change
  • The UK in a Changing Europe
  • Common Space
  • Gerry Hassan
  • Scottish Review
  • Social Europe
  • Think Scotland

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in