Scotland has had the lowest council tax in the UK for SIXTEEN years thanks to SNP
This shows that the average council tax payable per dwelling has generally increased more slowly in real terms in Scotland than in either England or Wales, and has decreased more frequently. In real terms, the average amount of council tax payable per dwelling in Scotland was about £101 lower (-7.1%) in 2023/24 than it was in 2007/08; in Wales it was about £445 higher (31.6%).
From data gathered by the House of Commons Library at the request of the SNP, above, Scotland has had the lowest council tax for 16 years under an SNP government, when compared with England and Wales.
From SNP Media today:
Whilst the average amount of council tax in Scotland has decreased by -7.1% (around £101) in real terms since the SNP came to power, in Labour run-Wales it has increased in real terms by 31.6% (around £445). In England under successive Tory and Labour governments, it has slightly increased.
Council tax is also cheaper in every Band (A-H) in Scotland, when compared with England and Wales, and will likely remain so given the Council Tax freeze the SNP Scottish Government has recently announced, which has not been replicated elsewhere in the UK.
Average current tax rates by band for England, Scotland and Wales are shown in the table below. Note that in all three countries, rates for all other bands are set as a ratio relative to band D. All of the figures below were therefore estimated by applying the appropriate ratio to the band D average for each country (by StatsWales for the Wales figures, and by the Library for England and Scotland). We also provide the average tax payable per dwelling, which takes into account the distribution of dwellings into the various bands.
Lower tax in Scotland ? Labour and Tories will be demanding higher Council Tax to pay for services .
Had the Scottish taxes been HIGHER than the rest then the same Labour and Tories would be demanding a cut in the SNP taxes .
Politics is a simple game to Labour /Tory -whatever the SNP does -it is WRONG !
The eight A-H band system is a joke with the likes of KC3 who is only paying £1147.26 more for his Council Band H Balmoral Castle than I do for my Band F bungalow. And the difference for his palaces, castles and stately homes in England is only £487.67 more than my bungalow! Past time methinks to expand to twenty six A-Z tax bands with all massive luxury properties enjoying the full X-Y-Z status (and charges) that brings.
O/T I see that BBC Scotland has made another of its major contributions to the BBC News website, this time courtesy of the Unionist patriots at These Islands. Appearing on the main Scotland page of the website and with top billing on the Scotland Politics page (viewed at 1500hrs, 13 November), there is the headline: ‘Ministers downgrade Scottish offshore energy projection’.
It seems that BBC Scotland rated this story highly for potential damage to the Scottish Government: this must be the justification for running with it so prominently as the substantive content is not new. Other indications of status include it meriting a considered ‘Analysis’ by BBC Scotland’s Political Correspondent and being opened up for public comment, always a sign of BBC Scotland’s ‘anticipation’.
From the ‘Analysis’, on this topic of renewable energy forecasts, we’re told: ‘.. AROUND A YEAR AGO THAT MINISTERS CONCEDED that figure was “out of date”. There were pledges to come up with a new number. That now APPEARS to have happened.’ (My emphasis) Note the slippery use of ‘appears’ despite the same journalist stating elsewhere in his piece that the relevant revision has indeed been made and formally communicated.
Secondly, we’re told: ’Though IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO MISS. In fact, it appears to have gone unnoticed for weeks. It was DEEP WITHIN A TRANCHE OF STATISTICS SENT to a Holyrood Committee.’ This ‘easy to miss’ communication is described in full below: one almost feels embarrassed for the journalist who felt it appropriate to frame this in this way!
Thirdly, the BBC ‘Analysis’ cannot even sustain a negative claim, acknowledging: ’This DOES INDEED QUALIFY AS UPDATING PARLIAMENT, which is what ministers had promised to do. Though many MSPs will think it would have been more appropriate to clearly publicise the new figure.’
And finally, we get the amplification of outrage: ’Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: “Ministers must be open and honest about giving accurate figures – secrecy and cover-up does the renewables sector no favours” – and more in a similar vein.
The intent behind the framing of the BBC Scotland article and especially of the ‘Analysis’ section seems clear: it is to imply that the Scottish Government sneaked out this revised statistic and but for the good guys of These Islands, Parliament and the public would have missed it and been none the wiser. And the Tory opposition are justly outraged at this underhand practice.
Let’s examine the facts. Held in the online archive of the Scottish Parliament, and easily found, is this entry: ‘UPDATE ON SCOTLAND’S RENEWABLES AND WIND POWER POTENTIAL – Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, 21 September 2023.
The title seems self-explanatory and explicit, yes? Then there is a copy of the actual letter on file:
Dear Edward,
Update on Scotland’s renewables and wind power potential’
Again, the LETTER HEADING COULD HARDLY BE MORE CLEAR REGARDING SUBJECT AND PURPOSE. And of course this Convenor is a Tory! Did he and his staff never read the clearly labelled letter or read it and moved on to more pressing matters until These Islands aided by BBC Scotland saw an opportunity … for something? The BBC Scotland take on this is, you will recall: ‘Though it would have been easy to miss. In fact, it appears to have gone unnoticed for weeks.’ Is BBC Scotland having a dig at a Tory Convenor asleep at his post? Surely not!
Back to the letter whose text makes no attempt to hide or downplay significance: ‘The Scottish Government committed to revise a previously used statistic – that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal potential. I write to update the Committee on the work that has been undertaken by the Scottish Government on this matter, and provide the Committee with revised metrics in relation to renewables and wind power potential in Scotland.
‘The annex to this letter provides additional detail on current and future potential wind generation in Scotland, comparisons with wider geographies, economic impacts, and real-life examples of what wind generation in Scotland could power.’
Presumably this is the document that the BBC Scotland journalist is referring to here: ‘There were pledges to come up with a new number. That now appears to have happened.’
And finally, recall this about the revised metric from the BBC Scotland ‘Analysis’: ‘It was DEEP WITHIN A TRANCHE OF STATISTICS SENT to a Holyrood Committee.’ I took the effort not only to read the letter but also the Annex with its deep tranche of statistics. I was ready for a deep dive into lots of data.
The annex is titled: ‘Summary Note – New Metrics on Renewables and Wind Power in Scotland’, so once again hardly disguising its content and purpose! It is LESS THAN TWO PAGES LONG! Yes, it’s worth repeating that given the BBC Scotland journalist’s description: the annex with its deep tranche of data is LESS THAN TWO PAGES LONG. And no spreadsheet, no data tables, no graphs, no pie charts – just text and less than two pages’ worth at that!
All in all, this is public service journalism as ‘contrivance’ – a ‘clever’ device created and exploited for a very particular purpose that candidly, is now all too plain!
Beware of a common unionist counter-claim which actually has Scots paying higher council tax. It relies upon a clever but fallacious argument that if you paid the same price for a property in England you would end up in a lower council tax band and therefore pay less council tax. It’s basically just a sneaky way to make a false equivalence; comparing an average property in Scotland to a below average property in England.
North and south of the border the pool of properties is divided up in more or less the same proportions The actual value of the properties doesn’t matter, it’s only function is to divide the overall tax burden in a semi-progressive manner among the local population. The crucial factor is that the tax burden which is passed onto residents is greater in England.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
ONLY TORIES GET YOU RIPPED OFF BY LANDLORDS AND SPIVES!!!!!!!!,
Sent from my iPad
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Lower tax in Scotland ? Labour and Tories will be demanding higher Council Tax to pay for services .
Had the Scottish taxes been HIGHER than the rest then the same Labour and Tories would be demanding a cut in the SNP taxes .
Politics is a simple game to Labour /Tory -whatever the SNP does -it is WRONG !
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And no council bankruptcies.
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Ah, but … that’s because we are ‘subsidy junkies’ and the ENGLISH taxpayer is subsidising us, so, we are BETTER TOGETHER!!!??????????????
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The eight A-H band system is a joke with the likes of KC3 who is only paying £1147.26 more for his Council Band H Balmoral Castle than I do for my Band F bungalow. And the difference for his palaces, castles and stately homes in England is only £487.67 more than my bungalow! Past time methinks to expand to twenty six A-Z tax bands with all massive luxury properties enjoying the full X-Y-Z status (and charges) that brings.
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O/T I see that BBC Scotland has made another of its major contributions to the BBC News website, this time courtesy of the Unionist patriots at These Islands. Appearing on the main Scotland page of the website and with top billing on the Scotland Politics page (viewed at 1500hrs, 13 November), there is the headline: ‘Ministers downgrade Scottish offshore energy projection’.
It seems that BBC Scotland rated this story highly for potential damage to the Scottish Government: this must be the justification for running with it so prominently as the substantive content is not new. Other indications of status include it meriting a considered ‘Analysis’ by BBC Scotland’s Political Correspondent and being opened up for public comment, always a sign of BBC Scotland’s ‘anticipation’.
From the ‘Analysis’, on this topic of renewable energy forecasts, we’re told: ‘.. AROUND A YEAR AGO THAT MINISTERS CONCEDED that figure was “out of date”. There were pledges to come up with a new number. That now APPEARS to have happened.’ (My emphasis) Note the slippery use of ‘appears’ despite the same journalist stating elsewhere in his piece that the relevant revision has indeed been made and formally communicated.
Secondly, we’re told: ’Though IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO MISS. In fact, it appears to have gone unnoticed for weeks. It was DEEP WITHIN A TRANCHE OF STATISTICS SENT to a Holyrood Committee.’ This ‘easy to miss’ communication is described in full below: one almost feels embarrassed for the journalist who felt it appropriate to frame this in this way!
Thirdly, the BBC ‘Analysis’ cannot even sustain a negative claim, acknowledging: ’This DOES INDEED QUALIFY AS UPDATING PARLIAMENT, which is what ministers had promised to do. Though many MSPs will think it would have been more appropriate to clearly publicise the new figure.’
And finally, we get the amplification of outrage: ’Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: “Ministers must be open and honest about giving accurate figures – secrecy and cover-up does the renewables sector no favours” – and more in a similar vein.
The intent behind the framing of the BBC Scotland article and especially of the ‘Analysis’ section seems clear: it is to imply that the Scottish Government sneaked out this revised statistic and but for the good guys of These Islands, Parliament and the public would have missed it and been none the wiser. And the Tory opposition are justly outraged at this underhand practice.
Let’s examine the facts. Held in the online archive of the Scottish Parliament, and easily found, is this entry: ‘UPDATE ON SCOTLAND’S RENEWABLES AND WIND POWER POTENTIAL – Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy, 21 September 2023.
The title seems self-explanatory and explicit, yes? Then there is a copy of the actual letter on file:
‘To Edward Mountain MSP
Convener
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee netzero.committee@parliament.scot
Dear Edward,
Update on Scotland’s renewables and wind power potential’
Again, the LETTER HEADING COULD HARDLY BE MORE CLEAR REGARDING SUBJECT AND PURPOSE. And of course this Convenor is a Tory! Did he and his staff never read the clearly labelled letter or read it and moved on to more pressing matters until These Islands aided by BBC Scotland saw an opportunity … for something? The BBC Scotland take on this is, you will recall: ‘Though it would have been easy to miss. In fact, it appears to have gone unnoticed for weeks.’ Is BBC Scotland having a dig at a Tory Convenor asleep at his post? Surely not!
Back to the letter whose text makes no attempt to hide or downplay significance: ‘The Scottish Government committed to revise a previously used statistic – that Scotland has 25% of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal potential. I write to update the Committee on the work that has been undertaken by the Scottish Government on this matter, and provide the Committee with revised metrics in relation to renewables and wind power potential in Scotland.
‘The annex to this letter provides additional detail on current and future potential wind generation in Scotland, comparisons with wider geographies, economic impacts, and real-life examples of what wind generation in Scotland could power.’
Presumably this is the document that the BBC Scotland journalist is referring to here: ‘There were pledges to come up with a new number. That now appears to have happened.’
And finally, recall this about the revised metric from the BBC Scotland ‘Analysis’: ‘It was DEEP WITHIN A TRANCHE OF STATISTICS SENT to a Holyrood Committee.’ I took the effort not only to read the letter but also the Annex with its deep tranche of statistics. I was ready for a deep dive into lots of data.
The annex is titled: ‘Summary Note – New Metrics on Renewables and Wind Power in Scotland’, so once again hardly disguising its content and purpose! It is LESS THAN TWO PAGES LONG! Yes, it’s worth repeating that given the BBC Scotland journalist’s description: the annex with its deep tranche of data is LESS THAN TWO PAGES LONG. And no spreadsheet, no data tables, no graphs, no pie charts – just text and less than two pages’ worth at that!
See https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-net-zero-energy-and-transport-committee/correspondence/2023/update-on-renewables-and-wind-power-potential
All in all, this is public service journalism as ‘contrivance’ – a ‘clever’ device created and exploited for a very particular purpose that candidly, is now all too plain!
LikeLike
Beware of a common unionist counter-claim which actually has Scots paying higher council tax. It relies upon a clever but fallacious argument that if you paid the same price for a property in England you would end up in a lower council tax band and therefore pay less council tax. It’s basically just a sneaky way to make a false equivalence; comparing an average property in Scotland to a below average property in England.
North and south of the border the pool of properties is divided up in more or less the same proportions The actual value of the properties doesn’t matter, it’s only function is to divide the overall tax burden in a semi-progressive manner among the local population. The crucial factor is that the tax burden which is passed onto residents is greater in England.
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