HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) today announced that just over 3 million customers are yet to complete their 2016 to 2017 returns with only one week to go before the 31 January deadline. Continue reading A third of tax returns are outstanding a week before deadline
Was the Westminster Budget good for Scots? As ever, opinion is sharply divided … Continue reading UK Government budget ‘delivers for Scotland’
Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson has written to the Chancellor Philip Hammond calling on him to take immediate action to cancel their unfair VAT charges on Scotland’s Police and Fire services which cost the forces £35 million a year. Continue reading “Another Tory betrayal of Scottish communities”: local MSP challenges Chancellor over unfair VAT charges
A new report by Andy Wightman MSP, Housing and Land Reform spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, shows that giving local councils the power to tax the 20,000 football pitches’ worth of vacant and derelict land in Scotland could generate £200 million a year to build affordable homes and tackle the housing crisis. Continue reading Green report shows taxing derelict land could help tackle housing crisis
Two Edinburgh businesses are celebrating big successes after seeing substantial growth this year. Business owners Renee Mackay, who runs TaxAssist Accountants in Corstorphine and Alan Johnston who runs TaxAssist Accountants in Goldenacre, are together celebrating reaching well over 1,000 small clients across the city. Continue reading Counting on success
Local businessman Alan Johnston celebrated six months in business with an official launch event at the TaxAssist Accountants office in Goldenacre which provides tax and accountancy support for small businesses. Continue reading Official opening for Goldenacre small business specialists
Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir has welcomed comments by a senior airlines executive that Air Passenger Duty (APD) is having an adverse effect on trade.
Following comments by David Thomas, a regional director of American Airlines, that Air Passenger Duty is ‘stifling demand’ on flights between Scotland and the United States, Colin Keir, Edinburgh Airport’s MSP, said: “Mr Thomas’s comments are most welcome and further validate our position that the Scottish Government must have control over Air Passenger Duty.
“As Edinburgh Airport’s recent report showed, reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support 800 new jobs and create millions for the economy, is most welcome and must be taken seriously by the UK Government.
“The tourism tax, that is particularly damaging to Scottish airports, should be cut at once. Devolution of APD would be a game changer for Scottish airports.
“The Scottish Government has committed to cutting Air Passenger Duty once it is devolved and that responsibility cannot come soon enough for passengers and Scotland’s airports. Only a strong team of SNP MPs elected on May 7 will ensure Scotland gains the powers it has been promised – including APD – to create jobs and build a more prosperous and fairer country.”
Colin Keir MSP has today welcomed a report by Edinburgh Airport that shows the gains of controlling and cutting Air Passenger Duty (APD) and calling for timetabling of the powers promised to Scotland.
The analysis backs the Scottish Government’s position and shows that the impact of reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support around 800 new jobs and millions of pounds for the economy.
Colin Keir, the MSP for Edinburgh Airport said: “This excellent report by Edinburgh Airport, which shows that the impact of reducing APD in Scotland by 50% will initially support 800 new jobs and create millions for the economy, is most welcome and must be taken seriously by the UK Government.
“The tourism tax that is particularly damaging to Scottish airports – should be cut at once. Devolution of APD would be a game changer for Scottish airports.
“The Scottish Government has committed to cutting Air Passenger Duty once it is devolved and that responsibility cannot come soon enough for passengers and Scotland’s airports.
“Only a strong team of SNP MPs elected on May 7 will ensure Scotland gains the powers it has been promised – including APD – to create jobs and build a more prosperous and fairer country.”
Scottish Parliament passes Community Charge Debt Bill
Proposals to end the collection of the historic Poll Tax debt have been approved today with a new law being passed by the Scottish Parliament.
As part of the Bill, the liability to pay the arrears in Scotland ended on February 1, 2015. This was subject to, and has now received, final approval from Parliament.
The Scottish Government brought forward the bill to bring an end to collection of debts under the discredited tax, which was abolished in 1993 after only four years in operation in Scotland.
Speaking after the vote to approve the bill the Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government has acted act expeditiously to address the use of information gathered from voter registration to pursue historical debts from a tax that is discredited and which has not been operational in Scotland for more than 20 years.
“People should not fear being on the electoral registers because of decades-old community charge debts.
“Although the amount of Poll Tax arrears collected by local authorities across Scotland has fallen in recent years to less than £350,000 in 2013-14, we will ensure that local authorities are properly compensated in line with current collection rates in respect of outstanding amounts.
“I am proud that the Scottish Parliament has consigned the ‘poll tax’ to history and extinguished any remaining liability for a disgraced and defunct tax.”
Councils to stop collecting the debt from 1 February
From February 1, 2015 the liability to pay ‘Poll Tax’ arrears in Scotland will end, subject to final approval of the Scottish Parliament later this month. John Swinney says Holyrood has acted ‘to right a historic wrong’.
The Scottish Government brought forward the bill to bring an end to collection of debts under the Community Charge, the discredited tax which was abolished in 1993 after four years in operation in Scotland.
The issue was brought to the fore following the independence referendum, amid reports that the expanded electoral registers could be used to identify and pursue Poll Tax debts at a time of record democratic engagement.
The amount of Poll Tax arrears collected by local authorities across Scotland has fallen in recent years to less than £350,000 in 2013-14, and some local authorities have ceased recovery of debts altogether. Nonetheless, the Scottish Government will cover the cost to local authorities of the Poll Tax debt that they would have expected to recover under existing arrangements.
This week parliament agreed to the general principles of the Bill and also approved a timescale that will see the Bill complete its parliamentary passage by 19 February.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government has acted act expeditiously to address the use of information gathered from voter registration to pursue historical debts from a tax that is discredited and which has not been operational in Scotland for more than 20 years.
“The amount of Poll Tax arrears which have been collected by councils across Scotland has fallen to near negligible levels in recent years, from around £1.3 million in 2009-10 to less than £350,000 in the most recent financial year.
“We will ensure that local authorities are properly compensated in line with current collection rates in respect of outstanding amounts and ensure that they are not out of pocket.
“The poll tax is a defunct tax, but it has left a bitter legacy in Scotland – the Scottish Parliament has acted to right a historic wrong.”
