As The Times reports this morning:
Taxpayers in Wales face having extra money taken out of their wages after being incorrectly labelled as Scottish.
And as it adds:
This year The Times revealed that about 30,000 Scottish taxpayers, including 45 MSPs, had been labelled as living in England.
If evidence was required that HMRC is not taking the issue of devolved taxation seriously, this supports that view.
And despite this andf other obvious problems many people still claim Scotland has accurate records that show it is short of revenue and runs a trade deficit. I stress, it may run a trade deficit. But I would add that the data to prove that does not exist as there is no reliable record of intra-UK trade. And as for Scottish revenue accounting, as I have long argued, that is at best described as a vague approximation to the truth.
There are many things HMRC should be doing better. This is very definitely on of them. But on this o0ccassion the errors suit Westminster. Don't expect any change any time soon.
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I know I’m just being thick, but why would it suit Westminster to have welsh people labelled as Scottish taxpayers? It just sounds like HMRC is trying to make money illegally?
Getting it right does not suit Westminster
They want the system to fail to leave the dead duck status quo in place, I think
Ah yes. Like what they’re doing to the English NHS, underfund so it doesn’t work so show it just HAS to be privatised. You have to wonder at what the point is in having a government at all when they can’t run anything. Possibly abolish Westminster and the government and have anarchy instead is the answer, I think stability will increase and public services will improve tenfold. Just an idea.
Confirmation of devolved taxation not being taken seriously has been given by the treatment of VAT, which is currently being devolved to Scotland; and which was discussed here, in a recent thread. I followed that up with an article in Bella Caledonia, “The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true” (12th May), in which I discussed the Fraser of Allander Institute’s (FAI) forensic dismantling of Westminster’s disingenuous methodology for transferring the tax ( in the process of which the FAI make some odd and elusive remarks about GERS).
Please forgive me self-referencing here, I hope you understand my broader intent.
I must read the article
Might you add a link, please?
Richard,
As requested:
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2019/05/12/the-pellet-with-the-poisons-in-the-vessel-with-the-pestle-the-chalice-from-the-palace-has-the-brew-that-is-true/
Excellent analysis and wholly appropriate
Hypothecated, not devolved surely?
Taxation matters ‘devolved’ to Scotland – A well-set trap simply to be left in place to do its work.
Agreed
So dont worry that the 30K were people ticking a box to say they were UK, not Scottish.
Dont worry that its 45 people out of millions.
Just peddle your sensationalist nonsense
Actually it was not 45 our of millions
There are 129 MSPs
That is a spectacular failure rate
But why worry yourself with facts?
Mr Bates,
“So dont worry that the 30K were people ticking a box to say they were UK, not Scottish.”
The purpose of HMRC identification is to establish the correct allocation of tax, based on residence; it has nothing whatsoever to do with allegiance. There is no Government anywhere that could operate any tax system at all on the basis of the kind of selection system you seem to propose is actually happening in Britain. To coin a phrase: I despair….
John S Warren states “There is no Government anywhere that could operate any tax system at all on the basis of the kind of selection system you seem to propose is actually happening in Britain.”
Never mind a government running a tax system, a sweetie shop couldn’t be run on such a basis or with the “data” that is used to measure the Scottish economy.