Sarwar’s pet professor should have read HMRC report showing that Scotland’s progressive taxation seems not to have ‘put people off Scotland’ as quality of life, lower housing costs, lower crime, better HNS and ‘post-pandemic appeal’, take it from near-zero to 8 000 a year

Professor John Robertson OBA, SCE Higher Economics, 1969, C grade

Professor Anton Muscatelli, former Principal Glasgow University, was born in Bari, Italy. His family migrated to Scotland, perhaps to escape local taxation hikes resulting from the activities of the local Capriati mafia clan? They and other factors no doubt seem to have been pretty effective at ‘putting people off Italy‘, with 15 million leaving between 1945 and 1970.

Muscatelli is in the low-impact rating, not really peer-reviewed, Scotsman today, claiming that Scotland’s taxation is putting people off coming to, or staying in, Scotland. Muscatelli appears not to have ever written anything about taxation/migration links but seems to think that he knows about this enough to try to influence the next Holyrood election with a claim we all have known for years is pure Cannelloni.

Scottish Labour asked the professor to create the report ahead of the 2026 Scottish elections.

Higher taxes aren’t causing an exodus—net migration remains positive, buoyed by Scotland’s quality of life, lower housing costs, lower crime, better NHS and ‘post-pandemic appeal‘. Net migration increased post-devolution, from near-zero (2011-2017) to +8,000 annually by 2021-22. Net income inflow to Scotland rose from -£60m (pre-2018) to +£200m (2021-22), driven by pandemic-era moves to affordable/rural areas.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2022/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2022

4 thoughts on “Sarwar’s pet professor should have read HMRC report showing that Scotland’s progressive taxation seems not to have ‘put people off Scotland’ as quality of life, lower housing costs, lower crime, better HNS and ‘post-pandemic appeal’, take it from near-zero to 8 000 a year”

  2. Amazing the different slant you find when searching the man with One Bol’s headline “High taxes ‘put people off Scotland’ “, this from STV –

    There is a “risk” higher income tax rates will dissuade people from coming to Scotland, the former head of Glasgow University has said.

    Once you get past One Bol’s fatuous headline, the article https://archive.ph/ldVJJ itself is reasonably honest, until you trip over ‘ “The danger is – and this is what I’ve heard from people who I discussed elements of the report with – they’re worried that people are perhaps being put off”, he said. ‘ when the alarms go off.

    Folks Anton Muscatelli would be taking soundings from are a tiny tiny fraction of the population, the purported ‘great and the good’ who allegedly consider their duty to the Scottish people inviolate – Yet along pops “as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar vows to devolve power out of Holyrood in a bid to usher in a new age of regional economic growth if he becomes the next first minister” reveals all, a snowballs chance in hell – When “Read my lips, no austerity” and “It’s a private company” Sarwar, has plummeted in credibility in Scotland further than Rachel from Accounts has in England, Labour are in deep, deep shit no matter what they come out with.

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  3. Clean drinking water might be a factor…cheaper housing, flats and houses in Edinburgh sell like hotcakes, sadly not all are lived in (tax avoidance?) and the number of ‘short term lets’ and ‘air’ b&b’s is off the charts.

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  4. Scotland’s population was 5 million from 1900 and before. It only increased after Devolution 2000. 5.4 million. Some people left because of Brexit. Scotland voted against Brexit.

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