WHILE politicians play the blame game for Scotland’s financial black hole, an interesting statistic emerges.
The £500m figure for cuts is almost matched by the £460m that Shona Robison will transfer from ScotWind offshore leases, reminding us of the huge revenue potential of natural resources (Scotland “pays price for bad decisions at Westminster”, Sep 4).
It is not just the seabed, but the entire land mass of Scotland that generates rental income which, under the current system of land ownership, is going largely into the private pockets of a handful of people while public services are cut to the bone.
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In 2021 the Scottish Government’s Social Justice and Fairness Commission came out strongly in favour of land value taxation (LVT) as part of a wider reform that would “ultimately remove our dependence on Council Tax, Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and non-domestic rates”. The convener of that commission was Shona Robison. The following year the Scottish Land Commission urged “systemic changes to enable government to tax land values more effectively”.
It is too late for this year, but for the future the Scottish Government should be looking to LVT as its principal source of revenue while slashing punitive taxes on work and enterprise, notably income tax over which it has control. Last month the distinguished economist, Charles Goodhart, wrote an article in the Financial Times about how to deal with the UK’s £22 billion deficit. He urged Rachel Reeves over a period of time to “raise the bulk, if not all, of the required revenue from a tax on the returns from land ownership” and noted the “overwhelming case for a land tax” made by the most prominent economists.
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Land values arise as a measure of public demand for location, further enhanced by the provision of publicly funded local services and infrastructure. They should be returned to the public purse as public revenue. Those who claim to own the country would then be paying its running costs. Scotland does not need to wait for Westminster to take the lead. As a new tax, LVT could be introduced within the fiscal framework agreement without affecting the block grant.
It is time for the Scottish Government to make far more use of the devolved tax powers for which it fought so hard.
John Digney
Buchlyvie, Stirling
FIRST Minister John Swinney’s reversal of his administration’s previously announced cuts to the Creative Scotland Open Fund
was welcome news. The creative arts are integral to any nation’s identity, and are especially important to Scotland, a de facto colony of its larger “partner” in this faux union.
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The arts in Scotland are seriously underfunded. Just 0.5% of the Scottish administration’s overall spend – £196.6 million – goes towards the arts. One area that is significantly underdeveloped due to lack of funding is the Scottish film industry. Like everything else, London dominates. So, it’s important to recognise and support Scottish talents like Jackie Oudney, an award-winning female film director whose recent short film, What I Am, is currently showing at four international film festivals.
A nation that values its arts and culture is Denmark. Last year it invested £1.84 billion in culture, nationally and locally, more than the UK’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund. Denmark, with just 5.9 million people, spends this amount every year.
As long as Scotland is trapped in the UK, encumbered by devolution’s budgetary straitjacket, its arts, culture, language and national identity will remain underdeveloped and suppressed.
Leah Gunn Barrett
Edinburgh
IN a recent National article the author somewhat lamented the fact that there was no way to tell a campervan from a basic van, thereby preventing authorities from regulating campervan usage, particularly in popular tourist spots and single-track roads.
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I suggest that all campervans, including those which are DIY conversions, are registered with DVLA as such, then Number Plate Recognition Cameras could record passage of these vehicles. DIY converted vehicles would need to be registered on pain of fine or confiscation. These measures would then give information on volumes and locations, allowing any tariffs or restrictions as the area requires. The measure could be fine-tuned over time.
M Ross
Aviemore
ALEX Orr in his excellent letter in Thursday’s edition has an interesting last paragraph. It illustrates another of the divide-and-rule tactics – accuse your opponents of the very traits you exhibit before they can retaliate with complex rebuttals. The simple soundbite reinforces the preferred belief regardless of how true it may or may not be. It doesn’t matter that there would be no substance behind their accusation, as the fact it has been said sticks in the naive, uncritical minds.
Nick Cole
Meigle, Perthshire
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