Reply to: Wid ye Credit it? I cannae believe it etc

[Cyberman]

It will be quite simple to put a scheme in place to control access to car parks. Have barriers at the entrance and exit and have the ticket validated at reception where you prove you're visiting someone or have an appointment. Staff use their passes to exit.

The SNP is a breath of fresh air. Yes they may have to increase tax to cover their manifesto, but they're abolishing all the stealth taxes that previously existed.

Tax on income will now be out of line with the rest of the UK, which could drive away higher earners. This does not seem a good idea at all if Scotland wishes to progress.

Also, the visibility of the community charge is lost which will enable costs/charges to be increased without the electorate being aware, so there will be no incentive to keep costs down. We in England complain every year about exorbitant increases and at least it has some effect on council attitudes to spending , but Scotland will just pay up in ignorance.

Good Luck with independence !!

[Torran]

bearing in mind that I read a GP quote a while back from the east end of Glasgow that he regularly saw men that had a regular weekly booze intake of over 200 units I believe any measure to address this at grass roots can only be a positive step.

The former administration did sweet FA despite many of them being from some of the worse affected areas.

[Incognito]

You could still buy the booze in supermarkets just no in the offie...

I think the ideas so far are all good, serving the people rather than business.

Nah, the consultation states raising the age to over 21 for all off-sales. On-sales (i.e the pub) will still be 18

The consultation publication is a good read. It's straight to the point and actually makes grim reading in places about Scotland and our booze culture.

Proposals they plan to implement include:

We propose further action to end the promotion and loss-leading of alcoholic drinks in licensed premises and seek views on our proposals (para 49)

No more buy 1 get 1 free.

We propose action to introduce minimum retail pricing and invite views on our proposals (para 55)

No more Asda value super strength cider, it's to be rebranded Asda value super strength paint stripper.

We propose to raise the minimum legal purchase age to 21 for off-sales purchases and seek views on this proposal (para 83)

No more groups of neds sitting in the park with their bottle of buckie (As if, we can only dream)

We propose that a fee should be applied to some alcohol retailers to help offset the costs of dealing with the adverse consequences of alcohol and invite views on our proposals (para 104)

Now that is interesting.

[Incognito]

A good plan B will be to open a cheap booze shed just south of the border to cater for the coach loads of 18 - 20's barred from buying their Buckfast in Jockland.

Get it right

[scooterscot]

isn't this a bit "restriction of trade" ?

Probably. That's what I like for once people are being consider before business, the way it should be.

[Incognito]

I don't agree with this - not abolishing it anyway. What they should do is have a system whereby patients and visitors can be given a token which enables free parking while everybody else has to pay. At St Marys in Manchester they charge for parking and we have paid a lot over the years to park there - during the normal daylight hours parking it pretty scarce at best. If they remove all parking charges then where do you think the people who work in the shops and offices near by are going to park? Are they going to pay their normal amount to park their car or pay nothing to leave it for free at the hospital down the road.

It will be quite simple to put a scheme in place to control access to car parks. Have barriers at the entrance and exit and have the ticket validated at reception where you prove you're visiting someone or have an appointment. Staff use their passes to exit.

The SNP is a breath of fresh air. Yes they may have to increase tax to cover their manifesto, but they're abolishing all the stealth taxes that previously existed.

[BoredBloke]

This might be stupid idea (for those who earn more than average), but I have to say Scottish party that rules there now made a number of correct (in my view) decisions like abolishing parking fees at NHS hospitals, no tool bridges and other things.

I don't agree with this - not abolishing it anyway. What they should do is have a system whereby patients and visitors can be given a token which enables free parking while everybody else has to pay. At St Marys in Manchester they charge for parking and we have paid a lot over the years to park there - during the normal daylight hours parking it pretty scarce at best. If they remove all parking charges then where do you think the people who work in the shops and offices near by are going to park? Are they going to pay their normal amount to park their car or pay nothing to leave it for free at the hospital down the road.

[Bluebird]

You could still buy the booze in supermarkets just no in the offie...

I think the ideas so far are all good, serving the people rather than business.

isn't this a bit "restriction of trade" ?

[NotAllThere]

First Minister Alex Salmond also outlined plans to ban under-21s from buying alcohol from off-licences

The preliminary steps, perhaps, to Scotland joining the US?

[scooterscot]

You could still buy the booze in supermarkets just no in the offie...

I think the ideas so far are all good, serving the people rather than business.

[Turion]

A good plan B will be to open a cheap booze shed just south of the border to cater for the coach loads of 18 - 20's barred from buying their Tennents Super in Jockland.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

The power to do this was present from the start of the Scottish Parliament - we've had to build it into payroll systems for years - that said, the practicalities will be interesting, to say the least. State and Federal income taxes in the USA are a nightmare of complexity.

[TykeMerc]

I wonder how they propose to introduce this "local income tax".

If you live in Scotland and work in another country (Uk or otherwise) will the tax be collected, if so how and how much?

If you live elsewhere and work in Scotland will the tax be levied?

Doesn't this mean that they will have to set up a new tax collecting agency with all of the costs involved?

[AtW]

This might be stupid idea (for those who earn more than average), but I have to say Scottish party that rules there now made a number of correct (in my view) decisions like abolishing parking fees at NHS hospitals, no tool bridges and other things.

[expat]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7594469.stm

thats my household over £1000 worse off. Might move to England

Actually it does seem to me to be fairer than a tax on housing. Tax income, tax purchases, but don't tax anything else.