Scotland is refashioning social provision in the UK. All that is before the impact of a new devolved income tax system, with an extremely modest income tax rise for the better off, is factored in to fill a gap left by a falling block grant from Westminster. But whether Scotland is ready for Nordic-style cradle-to-grave provision – and the impact of substantially higher taxes to sustain it – is an open question. UK government spending per head in Scotland, through the annual block grant from Westminster, is already higher than the English average. Twenty years after that devolution referendum, 1p in the pound was finally added to higher tax rates, with two new bands.

Source: The Guardian May 07, 2018 14:03 UTC