Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

Good grief.

Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

Huge dollop of sarcasm missed by a country mile

Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

I think you're comparing apples with cucumbers when you use Norway as an example. In the UK, our taxes are about 38% of GDP, in Norway the government takes 55% of GDP.

[Source: https://data.oecd.org/gga/general-go...ndicator-chart ]

So, if we had all paid about 45% more tax over the last five decades we could have a top class health system like Norway. But instead we voted for lower taxes and more spending and as a result we've got a huge deficit.

You may have noticed that my posts contain references for where I'm getting my numbers from. Any chance you could share some of yours??

Keith.

Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

Norwegian taxation regime is very different to ours, yes Norwegians do pay higher taxes, but the bulk of their revenue comes from taxation on oil and gas which is then invested in a sovereign wealth fund.
The reason Norway is bajillions in the black isn't because individual Norwegians pay high income tax, its because they have competent government.


https://resourcegovernance.org/blog/...th-oil-revenue

So comparing Norwegian hydrocarbons with UK hydrocarbons, almost the same quantity produced of each, but Norway has generated three times as much tax revenue from theirs.

Regarding another point I've previously made, whether Scotland subsidises England or other way round, even the BBC knows the truth, per head GDP England £23226 and Scotland £26424

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...itics-26326117

Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

if the UK public want what Norway has then how about a nice income tax hike to 38%... how does that sound?

never mind all the rest of the high tax rates like the equivalent of our NI contributions.

the cost of living in Norway is huge but they also get paid more (not by much though).

could Scotland do any better... maybe, maybe not. i personally think yes as Scotland have to balance the books with pitiful handouts but they would need a good person at the head of it all to begin with who could set the rules and ring fencing. i feel that the nippy little lying cow that is first minister is not the right person. i wish she would do everyone in Scotland a favour and crawl back under the rock she came from.

its already been proven that an independent Scotland would be no better or worse off at the beginning, its only the future that poses a problem but the same could be said for any new country... i also fully believe that if it were not for all the dirty underhanded scare mongering from Westminster and its cronies then Scotland would be independent today.

Re: to all the workers, a message from the bosses
 

No, we'd still be arguing about the details of who pays for what.

I live down in the south, but I think if there was ever a time for Scotland to become independent this is it. We're at a point where the money received from Westminster broadly matches the taxes that an independent Scotland could expect to raise. So even with a per capita share of the national debt Scotland would be in a reasonable fiscal position. Hopefully, the oil revenue would last long enough for them to diversify into other areas of economic activity.

Unfortunately, I would expect the (English) Labour party to do everything in their power to prevent independence because in the past Scotland has returned a significant number of Labour MPs. Without Scottish votes (or SNP support in Westminster) they could be facing decades in opposition.

Just my thoughts,

Keith.