tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638916042737526171.post2598051608605695809..comments2024-03-28T07:16:39.621+00:00Comments on Lallands Peat Worrier: A taxing future for Nationalists?Lallands Peat Worrierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18276270498204697708noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638916042737526171.post-23153588653357499872010-12-13T11:08:58.313+00:002010-12-13T11:08:58.313+00:00Justifying a frozen cooncil tax is another interes...Justifying a frozen cooncil tax is another interesting case in point, Stuart. To a degree, it is certainly useful to separate actual policy proposals, their given rationale and different ways they might be justified.Lallands Peat Worrierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07238432265194046726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1638916042737526171.post-87105560311701855862010-12-13T07:23:21.992+00:002010-12-13T07:23:21.992+00:00Indeed, and as I normally say the Scottish politic...Indeed, and as I normally say the Scottish political psyche seems to militate against fundamentally reducing the size of the public sector, while at the same time displaying a reluctance to increase the taxation burden.<br /><br />Thus using fiscal autonomy to "grow Scotland's economy", is never really explained, but is presumably predicated on higher debt levels - and thus a less severe contraction of public spending - than the UK as a whole currently looks set upon.<br /><br />Which is all very well if in the future economic growth can eventually repay the debt, but as Gordon Brown found out to his cost, the debt can't be increased and rolled over indefinitely, and eventually the whole thing will come tumbling down, a la Ireland.<br /><br />Thus Russell and MacLeod's right-leaning vision of a significantly smaller state and thus lower taxation burden seems at odds with the prevailing ethos, but as you say these issues haven't really been addressed hitherto.<br /><br />Highly amusing description of the Scotland Bill Committee, by the way, and an equally entertaining account of your taxation studies - sounds like Butterworth's tax handbook or similar!!Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.com