Scottish Government moving the goalposts

[islaydarkblue]

I'll always remember that time I agreed with one of your posts as looks like it'll be the one and only. Furlough has absolutely nothing to do with the Scottish government, it is direct from UK to individual businesses. And election bribes are fairly common, so why not spend some of that additional income tax revenue on the NHS staff to make them look good. Are you against the pay rise?

Everyone working in the NHS throughout the whole of the UK should get the same pay rise.
The furlough money is sent to Scotland based on the Barnett Formula. Today it has been reported that only one third of self employed driving instructors, mobile hairdressers and tattoo artists in Scotland have received their £4,000 grant that they were entitled to receive from the Scottish Government under the laid down rules of the furlough scheme. It was reported on BBC Reporting Scotland that people had applied for their grant but their application was rejected. I would not be surprised if Nippy has used that money to give the 4% pay rise to the nurses etc in NHS Scotland.
She certainly seemed to be able to magic up the money from somewhere unless of course it was from the SNP magic money tree.

[Taintedice]

Everyone working in the NHS throughout the whole of the UK should get the same pay rise.
The furlough money is sent to Scotland based on the Barnett Formula. Today it has been reported that only one third of self employed driving instructors, mobile hairdressers and tattoo artists in Scotland have received their £4,000 grant that they were entitled to receive from the Scottish Government under the laid down rules of the furlough scheme. It was reported on BBC Reporting Scotland that people had applied for their grant but their application was rejected. I would not be surprised if Nippy has used that money to give the 4% pay rise to the nurses etc in NHS Scotland.
She certainly seemed to be able to magic up the money from somewhere unless of course it was from the SNP magic money tree.

As you will know, the NHS in Scotland has nothing to do with the NHS in England, it is not 'devolved'. If the tory government want to match the pay rise in Scotland, then that is very easy for them to do. They found £22bn for failed Track and Trace and even though it was a complete failure, that sum is rising to £37bn. That is an astronomical sum of money, the human brain cannot even compute how much money that is, you needs computers to work it out.

Think you're mixed up about furlough, this as far as I understand relates to workers on PAYE, not those who are self-employed. Self-employed have been neglected in the UK due to the rules adopted by the UK govt last March. There are 3m people excluded from support, they don't all live in Scotland. If all you listen to is the BBC then it's no surprise you think everything is negative.

[islaydarkblue]

As you will know, the NHS in Scotland has nothing to do with the NHS in England, it is not 'devolved'. If the tory government want to match the pay rise in Scotland, then that is very easy for them to do. They found £22bn for failed Track and Trace and even though it was a complete failure, that sum is rising to £37bn. That is an astronomical sum of money, the human brain cannot even compute how much money that is, you needs computers to work it out.

Think you're mixed up about furlough, this as far as I understand relates to workers on PAYE, not those who are self-employed. Self-employed have been neglected in the UK due to the rules adopted by the UK govt last March. There are 3m people excluded from support, they don't all live in Scotland. If all you listen to is the BBC then it's no surprise you think everything is negative.

There are lots different groups who can claim money under the furlough scheme. It is not just reserved to people on PAYE.
People running self catering businesses were able to claim up to £10,000 whilst private members golf clubs could claim up £25,000.
The people who have lost out are the ones who have formed a limited company and then taken the bulk of their salary as a dividend to reduce the amount of tax and national insurance that they pay. It is a perfectly legal scheme until a national lockdown comes along and they cannot work.

[Taintedice]

There are lots different groups who can claim money under the furlough scheme. It is not just reserved to people on PAYE.
People running self catering businesses were able to claim up to £10,000 whilst private members golf clubs could claim up £25,000.
The people who have lost out are the ones who have formed a limited company and then taken the bulk of their salary as a dividend to reduce the amount of tax and national insurance that they pay. It is a perfectly legal scheme until a national lockdown comes along and they cannot work.

Furlough is a specific term which usually relates to employees being put out into the long grass, imported from America. It does not cover businesses being given grants. Furlough for employees was between the employee, the employer and the UK government, namely HMRC who handled the payments. Grants for businesses in Scotland were handled by the Scottish govt, but not directly, the business had to apply to their local council who determined if they met the rules. As you say, the self-employed have enjoyed tax advantages in the past and now trying to prove their income is near on impossible. If you've only paid about £1k tax for the past 5 years, getting a grant for £10k seems a bit of a stretch.

[islaydarkblue]

Furlough is a specific term which usually relates to employees being put out into the long grass, imported from America. It does not cover businesses being given grants. Furlough for employees was between the employee, the employer and the UK government, namely HMRC who handled the payments. Grants for businesses in Scotland were handled by the Scottish govt, but not directly, the business had to apply to their local council who determined if they met the rules. As you say, the self-employed have enjoyed tax advantages in the past and now trying to prove their income is near on impossible. If you've only paid about £1k tax for the past 5 years, getting a grant for £10k seems a bit of a stretch.

The correct term is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/g...ployed-support