Police Scotland investigations have resulted in 43 offenders being sentenced to a total of 272 years in prison since 1 April 2023.
The 43 perpetrators were convicted of a total of 364 domestic abuse offences following work by the service’s national Domestic Abuse Taskforce.
Their sentences included non-harassment orders (NHOs) totalling 1119 years, including 21 indefinite NHOs, while four abusers were given orders of lifelong restriction.
A total of 139 victims were identified.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sam Faulds, Head of Public Protection, Police Scotland, said: “These are significant outcomes for victims, the result of that first step taken to tell someone, an officer or a support worker, of the abuse they have suffered.
“Our Domestic Abuse Taskforce takes on the most complex, challenging and sensitive enquiries often involving multiple victims who have suffered years of abuse, whether physical, sexual, emotional and financial.
“We understand how difficult it can be for people to report abuse, to revisit a painful past. It is really important people understand that they are not alone, help is available.
“Society is changing. Domestic abuse in all its forms is now recognised and not ignored. Ultimately, we are working, with partners, to prevent domestic abuse, and to reduce the harm it causes.
“Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland. Every officer is trained to deal with domestic incidents, and to identify the full range of abuse that offenders use to control, coerce and instil fear in victims.
“If you are a victim of domestic abuse, or are concerned that someone you know is a victim, then please report to Police Scotland or through one of our partner agencies. We will take action and we will investigate.”
Officers in Scotland attend nearly 65,000 domestic abuse calls a year, a call every eight minutes on average. Around 42% of these will result in a crime being recorded.
‘a thousand words’ commissioned by Scottish Womens Aid and Zero Tolerance. Copyright Laura Dodsworth
Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Taskforce deals with the most complex domestic abuse investigations, often involving long term offending against multiple victims.
According to the latest quarterly performance data (quarter three, April to December 2023), 46,195 domestic incidents were reported to the police and 26,300 crimes were recorded.
Recorded domestic crimes are down 5.1% (1,399 crimes) compared to the same period last year, and down 8.7% (2,511 crimes) compared to the five-year mean.
Reports of domestic incidents had increased by 2.0% (892 incidents) compared to last year.
Of the crimes recorded, 1505 were recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, a 13.2% increase (175 crimes) on the previous year.
Requests to the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland (DSDAS) increased by 23.5% overall compared to the same period last year.
Creative Informatics events at Edinburgh Science Festival
Creative Informatics, the research and development programme established to bring together Edinburgh’s world-class creative industries and tech sector, has partnered with Edinburgh Science Festival to celebrate the end of its funded programme and showcase the brilliantly wide-ranging community that has been built.
Since 2018, Creative Informatics has supported individuals and organisations working in the creative industries in Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland to do inspiring things with data and digital technologies.
Events and activities inspired by the project come together in a festival programme packed with creative experiences, demonstrations, and debates at the National Museum of Scotland and Summerhall.
A new interactive exhibition ‘Unleashing the Power of Data’ runs throughout the two weeks of the festival at the National Museum of Scotland, and showcases some of the incredible artworks, objects, and innovations developed by Creative Informatics community. VR and AI tools combine with light, sound, and music across a series of immersive installations.
Exhibits include a VR obstacle course through digital landscapes traversing forests, valleys and cliffs from game designers Bear Hammer; a collaborative music making app that transforms phones into magic wands, allowing audiences to make music together in real time, created by Ray Interactive; an interactive light-box from artist Dominka Jackowska combining art, sound, and animation allowing users to manipulate sounds through drawing and movement; an AI-driven, Lego-powered DJ centre which allows visitors to create their own music using building-blocks, designed by Playable Technology; data-inspired art and sculpture from artists Rebecca Kaye, Mella Shaw, Caitlin Macdonald and Inge Panneels; and a digital exploration into Edinburgh’s fabled ‘lost’ Empire Palace Theatre.
Other events include ‘Creative AI for Creative Work’, a talk at the National Museum of Scotland exploring the burgeoning world of AI and its positive potential for use across the creative sectors, as Chair Frauke Zeller – Professor of Human-Computer Interaction and Creative Informatics at Napier University – is joined by creative professionals working with AI to enhance their projects – from developing playful innovations to creating new revenue streams for sound and audio production.
Lastly, experience why Scotland has a global reputation in the video game, film and TV industries at Let’s Play, a data-driven evening for adult audiences at Summerhall, part of the festival’s ‘Nights Out’ programme. This playful evening features interactive experiences, short talks from industry creatives and researchers, and AI-generated beats creating a live soundtrack to the event.
Festival-goers are invited to immerse themselves in a new world of data-driven inspiration and discover more about the programme behind the creative innovations.
Creative Informatics is led by director Melissa Terras, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh’s Design Informatics in Edinburgh College of Art, and since 2018, has supported creative professionals in Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland to develop new and innovative work by providing funding and development opportunities that explore how data can drive ground-breaking new products, business, and experiences.
Over the last five years the programme has engaged with almost 3000 businesses and individuals, with 683 benefitting from training and new skills programmes, and 136 SMEs supported to explore data-driven business opportunities.
This work has sustained 429 jobs and created 210 new products, services, and experiences, in turn generating over £7.5 million in further funding and investment. As the funded programme draws to a close, Creative Informatics now looks to the future and legacy support for the community created in the past five years.
Professor Melissa Terras, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh:‘We’re really excited to be celebrating the achievements of the Creative Informatics programme at this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival.
“Our events have been specially curated to highlight some of the extraordinary work developed through our programme – from innovations in gaming and audio production to artistic creations that push the boundaries of how we think, feel and interact with the world around us.
“These events and exhibits showcase the incredible Creative Informatics community that has been built over the last five years, whose practice, products and networks will form a lasting and supportive legacy for creative professionals across Edinburgh and South East Scotland’.
Creative Informatics is a partnership across four organisations: the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Codebase and Creative Edinburgh, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Department of Culture, Media & Sport, the Data Driven Innovation programme and the Scottish Funding Council.
Creative Informatics: Unleashing the Power of Data | Hawthornden Court, National Museum of Scotland | 30 March – 7 April
Explore some of the innovative products, new experiences and groundbreaking creative work that has been developed through funding and support from Edinburgh’s Creative Informatics programme.
As the innovation programme draws to a close, this interactive showcase celebrates the achievements of its creative community. Stop by to experience virtual reality worlds, discover new data-driven artworks and use building blocks to create your own music.
Exhibitors
Bear Hammer | Venture’s Gauntlet | Explore vast and stunning environments such as open highlands, caves, cliff edges and a castle; each jam-packed with its own unique puzzles and challenges.
Dominika Jackowska | Interactive Light Box | Interactive, fun, and playful electronic installation for an audience of all ages, combining drawing, sound, and animation.
Ray Interactive | IMP | IMP is a fun, interactive, collaborative music making app that transforms phones into magic wands, allowing you to make music with your friends. Simply scan the QR code and you get to control a layer of sound and create music together.
Tinderbox | Tinderbox Games Club Expo | Using different forms of technology to make games. Together we play, research and make games, as well as design our own artwork, audio & code needed for them.
Ice Cream at the Interval | Reimagining the Empire Palace | A combination of physical modelling and digital innovation to explore and reimagine Edinburgh’s ‘Lost’ Empire Palace Theatre
Yaldi Games | Wholesome Out and About | A factual life simulator that broadens your horizons. Learn about foraging, healthy cooking & creative crafts while playing and then recreate them in real life
Mahsa Nikoufar | Creative Gradient | Creative Gradient uses GIS geospatial data and Python programming to turn raw data into contemporary pixel art, communicating the use of data to different age groups in fun and colourful ways.
Kate Ives | To the Core | To the core is a tactile Jesmonite sculpture carved with geometric patterns that reflet data relating to the decline of native British species and explores what we can do to support biodiversity in our communities
Ailie Finlay | My Kind of Book | Creative ways to ensure that children with complex additional needs, including PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities) have books and sensory stories to enjoy
Playable Technology | Beat Blocks Live | A new app for iOS that enables you to build music in real-time with traditional children’s building blocks
Ploterre | Naturally Curious | Ploterre uses environmental data to create artwork from processes and discoveries within the natural world. Combining principles from the fields of mathematics and design, it describes data via colour and form, making it more accessible, and beautiful in the process.
Mella Shaw | Sounding Line | A short film showcasing how Mella created Sounding Line – a award-winning large-scale ceramic installation addressing the devastating effect of marine sonar on whales and other cetaceans.
Cloud Quilting | Reul-iùil – guiding star | A personalised quilt pattern creator that allows makers to embed meaning in these significant handmade decorative and functional objects through the use of data-driven design.
Caitlin Macdonald & Inge Panneels | Picture Your Poisons |Picture Your Poisons is an intimate portrait of a cancer treatment journey through the specific lens of one patient’s course of treatment.
Creative AI for Creative Work | National Museum of Scotland | Wednesday 10 April, 6pm
The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence is creating challenges for the creative industries around human creativity, originality, intellectual property, and ethics. However, AI has incredible potential as a tool for creative work – for experimentation or as part of an ideation process.
Hear from creative professionals working with AI to enhance their projects – from developing playful innovations to creating new revenue streams for sound and audio production. Chaired by Dr Frauke Zeller, Professor of Human Computer-Interaction and Creative Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University.
Let’s Play | Summerhall, Dissection Room | Friday 12 April, 7pm
Get your game face on and extend your reality as we explore how creative technologies and on-screen innovation are changing how we play and experience the world around us – and worlds we can only imagine.
Virtual production is one of the most exciting new technology areas and Scotland has a global reputation for game, film and TV production.
Join us for a playful evening with interactive experiences and short talks from industry creatives and researchers.
Try out some new creative tech or relax with a drink from the bar and some AI-generated beats.
Still plenty of treasure in the kist, and still plenty of time for you to get sowing! Drop in to get some free seeds you can try growing this year.
We look after the Seed Kist – a stash of seeds for the community, some saved from crops at the farm, and by other growers in north Edinburgh, and some spare commercial seed packets that people donated.
You don’t need to bring any seeds if you don’t have any – it’s a free share, and we want these seeds Drop in to the seed share to get some free seeds you can try growing this year. You don’t need to bring any seeds if you don’t have any – it’s a free share, and we want these seeds your hands.
We will be in the green portacabin, through the gate at the back of the Toby Carvery car park. It is level but rough ground, with a step up to the cabin. We can come out to meet you if the portacabin is not accessible – feel free to contact us ahead of time if you want to make an arrangement, or we can work it out on the day.
Work will soon begin on changes to help drivers navigate around Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ), including a new traffic layout on Morrison Street.
Lining work will start on 20 March as part of plans to make Morrison Street two-way to all traffic between the Morrison Link/Morrison Street junction and the Dewar Place/Morrison Street junction. This will provide a safe alternative route for non-compliant traffic while limiting congestion. The new layout will go live on 31 March, ahead of enforcement of the LEZ beginning on 1 June.
We’ll also be adding a right hand turn from Morrison Link to Morrison Street eastbound as well as changing signals and improving the pedestrian crossing at the junction of Morrison Street, Gardner’s Cresent and Dewar Place. This will include widening footways, removing guard railing and adding cycle parking and planters around Gardner’s Crescent.
Continuous pavements will be created at St David’s Place and St David’s Terrace on Morrison Street and traffic will no longer be able to turn left from Morrison Street westbound onto Gardner’s Crescent. This will allow more time for the green man, giving pedestrians travelling east and west higher priority.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1765755608660087015
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “By limiting the most polluting vehicles from the zone, the LEZ will play a central role in lowering harmful emissions in Edinburgh, which negatively affect our health and wellbeing.
“I’m pleased that compliance with the zone’s emissions standards has continued to rise over recent years, which will benefit all those living in and visiting the city. Our two-year grace period has helped people to prepare for and adapt to the changes coming into force on 1 June.
“The measures we’re currently putting in place will allow non-compliant vehicles to find an alternative route, while limiting congestion and road safety issues. However, as we approach the start of enforcement I hope to see compliance rates climbing even further, or people opting for cleaner, more sustainable modes of transport.”
Other changes to help give non-compliant vehicles a diversion route will be to allow traffic to turn right from Home Street to Brougham Street at the Tollcross junction, which will be in place from 27 March, and a new right turn filter from the Pleasance to Holyrood Road from 6 March.
At the end of 2023 entry signs were installed on the boundary of the LEZ to inform drivers they are driving within the zone and this spring Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which support enforcement, will be put in place.
A city centre LEZ was introduced in Edinburgh on 31 May 2022, along with LEZs in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, restricting the most polluting vehicles only and benefiting everyone’s health. In Edinburgh, a two-year grace period is in place, meaning no Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) charges will be issued during this time.
LEZ restrictions will apply to motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds. Vehicles must meet the minimum emissions standards to drive within the zone, though national exemptions apply including for blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.
Edinburgh’s LEZ will issue PCNs, or fines, in line with Scottish regulations, from 1 June 2024. Full details on LEZ penalties are available online.
Join us at The LifeCare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street, for an afternoon of guilt free shopping on Saturday 6th of April between 2pm and 4pm at our Community Clothes Swap Event!
To register your interest call 0131 343 0940 or email:
Do you or your group use community transport in Edinburgh? Do you want to use community transport, but can’t get access? Are you struggling to get people to your group or activity?
Join us for an event where we’re bringing together the city’s top five community transport operators, City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Health & Social Care representatives to talk about how we move vulnerable and disabled people around the city.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and shape the future of community transport in Edinburgh!
Millions at risk from ‘silent killer’ as NHS campaign warns there are often ‘no clues’ when it comes to high blood pressure
Up to 4.2 million people in England could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, according to NHS.
The ‘silent killer’ often has no symptoms but if left untreated, can lead to fatal heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
New survey data shows that despite the majority of high blood pressure cases being asymptomatic, only one in 14 respondents (7 per cent) thought the condition has no symptoms.
The Get Your Blood Pressure Checked campaign has been launched to highlight that there are often ‘no clues’ as to who has high blood pressure – backed by Gloria Hunniford and Graeme Souness.
With the NHS expanding blood pressure checks in community pharmacies – including capacity for an additional 2.5 million tests – the national campaign is urging those aged 40 years and over to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy.
Campaign backed by British Heart Foundation, Stroke Association, Heart Research UK, Blood Pressure UK, May Measurement Month, British Society for Heart Failure, and more.
Today, the NHS is launching a new national campaign to find the ‘missing millions’ who have undiagnosed high blood pressure.
High blood pressure, often described as a ‘silent killer’, affects an estimated 32 per cent of adults. As the condition rarely has any symptoms, approximately three in 10 of these remain undiagnosed, equating to 4.2 million people in England.
The public are today being warned that there are often ‘no clues’ about who might have high blood pressure – the only way to know is to have a simple test.
With the NHS announcing an additional 2.5 million blood pressure checks in community pharmacies over this year and next, those aged 40 years and over are now being urged to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy. The procedure is quick, non-invasive and you don’t need to book in advance.
This comes as new survey data reveals widespread misconceptions about the condition among those at risk.
Despite the majority of high blood pressure cases being asymptomatic, only one in 14 respondents (7 per cent) thought the condition has no symptoms. The survey also revealed one in six (17 per cent) of those surveyed have been put off having a blood pressure check because they don’t feel unhealthy or stressed.
Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “Millions of adults in England unknowingly have high blood pressure, without experiencing any symptoms. As part of our Pharmacy First programme, the NHS has expanded its pharmacy offering to include 2.5 million more blood pressure checks within local pharmacies.
“Knowing if you have a healthy blood pressure is so important and this new drive will help to prevent the potentially fatal consequences of untreated high blood pressure. I urge people to go to their local pharmacy today to get their blood pressure checked. It could be a lifesaving trip.”
Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
However, the survey of over 2,000 adults aged 40 and over revealed worrying numbers who don’t know the potentially fatal effects of high blood pressure – with four in 10 (41 per cent) unaware that, if left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, and over a fifth (22 per cent) being unaware that it can cause strokes and heart attacks.
To encourage more over 40s to come forward for potentially life-saving blood pressure checks, new advertising features a fictional detective struggling to solve the mystery of high blood pressure, due to a lack of ‘clues’ and ‘insufficient evidence’.
The campaign is being backed by Graeme Souness, TV pundit and former footballer, who is affected by high blood pressure and had a heart attack, and Gloria Hunniford, TV presenter and broadcaster, whose dad and husband have suffered strokes.
The pair appear alongside other patients affected by the condition, and pharmacist Deepak Bilakhia, in a mock police line-up to demonstrate how any of us could be unknowingly walking around with the condition.
Gloria Hunniford said: “This campaign is very close to my heart – both my husband and my father sadly suffered from a number of strokes due to high blood pressure, so I know from personal experience just how important it is to get your blood pressure checked, even if you feel healthy.
“That’s why I’m so pleased to hear that pharmacies offer free, quick blood pressure checks for people aged 40 and over – thankfully, this really will save lives.”
Graeme Souness said: “It’s so important to get your blood pressure checked – in my experience, high blood pressure doesn’t only affect the ‘usual suspects’, it can and does affect anyone so you could be at risk without knowing it.
“I’ve had high blood pressure for years but have been able to manage it with a routine of healthy eating, regular fitness and regular blood pressure checks.”
It is hoped that the campaign will urge those at risk to prioritise getting their blood pressure checked, even if they have no symptoms – after the survey revealed that blood pressure checks are low on the list of people’s annual priorities.
The majority of those at risk currently prioritise annual tasks such as getting their car MOT’d (56 per cent), getting their boiler serviced (55 per cent) or renewing insurances (60 per cent), above checking their blood pressure (43 per cent) – despite its life saving potential.
Meanwhile two in five (44 per cent) were not aware they could get a free blood pressure check at a pharmacy, with even more being unaware that they do not need an appointment (59 per cent).
Chief Medical Officer for England Sir Professor Chris Whitty said: “High blood pressure usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious health consequences such as a fatal heart attack, a stroke, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
“The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a simple, non-invasive blood pressure test. Even if you are diagnosed, the good news is that it’s usually easily treatable.
“Getting your blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy is free, quick and you don’t even need an appointment, so please go for a check today – it could save your life.
Helen Williams, Pharmacist and National Clinical Director for CVD Prevention, NHS England said: “It can be easy to dismiss the risks of stroke and heart attack associated with high blood pressure, especially as it often has no signs or symptoms so I would encourage everyone over the age 40 to know their blood pressure numbers.
“With thousands of pharmacies across the country now offering free blood pressure checks with healthy living advice, it’s a quick, easy and convenient way to keep on top of your cardiovascular health at a time and place that suits you.”
Deepak Bilakhia, a Nottingham based community pharmacist, said: “Campaigns like this are so important because high blood pressure can be a silent killer and really can affect anyone, including those with no symptoms at all.
“Too many people are unaware that pharmacies offer this kind of service, without needing to book an appointment.
“So, if you’re 40 and over and haven’t had a check in the last 6 months, don’t put it off any longer.
“Checking your blood pressure at a local pharmacy is so simple to do but could save your life – and your pharmacist is here to help.”
Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks near you by searching “pharmacy blood pressure check” or visiting the NHS website here.
Any women who have not claimed back the cost of private mesh removal arranged before 3 June 2022 are being encouraged to do so ahead of the planned closure of the Transvaginal Mesh Removal Reimbursement Scheme.
As announced in the parliament in October 2023, the scheme for women to claim back the cost of private mesh removal surgery will close to new applications at the end of March. The Scheme was due to close in December 2023 but the Scottish Government extended to give women a final chance to apply.
Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Many women who have been impacted by complications after having had transvaginal mesh implanted have experienced immense pain and suffering.
“It is important that women who are eligible to apply to the Transvaginal Mesh Removal Reimbursement Scheme are not left out of pocket, which is why the Scottish Government extended the scheme. I would urge any women who thinks she may be eligible for reimbursement to apply before 31 March.”
The vet charity for pets in need, PDSA, says the pet obesity crisis needs ‘urgent attention’ as vet teams estimate around half of UK pets are overweight – equating to around 5 million dogs and 4.7 million cats.
It comes as the charity, alongside its partner Royal Canin, visits Crufts in a bid to tackle the growing pet obesity crisis head on through its ‘Big Weigh In’ campaign.
PDSA, in partnership with Royal Canin, is inviting pet owners to book free weight checks at participating vet practices nationwide throughout February and March. There are more than 500 vet practices signed up and pet owners can find their local participating practice and book their free appointment here: pdsa.org.uk/WeighUp
“We’re all guilty of over-indulging at times, but worryingly, 36% of dog owners admit to regularly giving their pet leftovers*,” explains PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing.
“And while a tasty treat now and then, when considered amidst the rest of their food intake, won’t harm your pet, regularly overfeeding them could lead to serious health problems.
“Since our PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report launched over a decade ago, overweight and obese pets have always been an issue but almost half of veterinary professionals (49%) say they’ve seen an increase in pet obesity in the last two years. And a quarter say obesity is one of the top five welfare issues in dogs.
“But with more and more people owning a pet these days, especially dogs, we’re now at a point where it needs urgent attention before it gets even worse.”
New UK ISA announced at Spring Budget will encourage savers to “Back Britain” and support UK business, helping to build a stronger economy.
Generous £5,000 allowance is on top of existing £20,000 annual ISA subscription limit.
British Savings Bonds, launching in April, will offer a guaranteed interest rate fixed for three years, increasing the savings opportunities available to consumers.
British savers are set for a boost off the back of the brand-new ISA and National Savings & Investments (NS&I) product the Chancellor outlined at Spring Budget.
The new ‘UK Individual Savings Account’ will give savers an extra £5,000 of tax-free investments that must be invested in UK firms – while the British Savings Bonds product will increase opportunities for people to save for the longer term, whilst encouraging retail demand for government financing. Taken together they will foster cultures of saving and investing in the UK.
The UK ISA will ensure that savers will be able to benefit from the growth of UK businesses. This is part of a number of measures the government is taking, building on Mansion House and Autumn Statement 2023 announcements, to strengthen the UK’s capital markets, boost savings, increase pension fund transparency, and facilitate investment in UK companies.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said:“This boost for British savers also unlocks long-term investment for Britain. We are sticking to our plan to get the economy growing, and it is right that this growth is fuelled by British innovation and enterprise in the areas where our country does it best.”
The Chancellor’s approach to create a new ISA allowance to invest in the UK will avoid disrupting people’s existing portfolios while rightly incentivising those that want to back Britain and save beyond the standard £20,000 limit.
This includes investment in those burgeoning small and medium enterprises in the high-growth sectors of the future in which Britain holds comparative advantage over its European neighbours, like digital technology – including being a clear artificial intelligence superpower in the west – and the life sciences – with the largest sector in Europe.
Meanwhile, the British Savings Bonds, a three-year savings product offered through NS&I, will go on sale in early April and will be available to consumers across the UK, with a minimum investment of £500 and maximum of £1 million. Consumers will benefit from an interest rate fixed for three years that is in line with NS&I’s requirement to balance the interests of savers, taxpayers and the broader financial services sector.
The timing will coincide with the further cuts to National Insurance for 29 million working people – putting over £900 a year back into the average worker’s pocket when combined with the cuts to Employee and Self-Employed National Insurance announced at Autumn Statement.
These represent personal tax cuts worth £20 billion, reduce the effective personal tax rate for a median earner to its lowest level since 1975, and represent the next step towards the government’s long term ambition to end the unfairness that means if you get your income for having a job you pay two types of tax, but if you get it from others sources you only pay one.
