Those who follow the Scotsman letters page might have noticed a to and fro of letters from one Mr Hamilton D Wilkin and I, concerning independence. So far, he's been fretting over whether or not the sky will fall on his head, and I've been (I think) fairly sensible. Today, however, Mr Wilkin took things too far.
Alison Thewliss (Letters, 9 March) uses the word "illogical". What an appropriate word to describe the policy of the SNP towards corporation tax. It proposes to reduce this tax by a third, thus giving Scottish businesses such a boost that eventually so much more profit is made that the revenue from this tax actually increases.
Can anyone name a chancellor who has actually reduced a tax to increase revenue or, presumably, increased a tax to reduce revenue? A few other words come to mind that may apply to this policy such as "ill-considered", "ill-founded", "illusioned", etc.
HAMILTON D WILKIN, Sauchenbush Road, Kirkcaldy
I never mentioned corporation tax in any of my previous letters. What I actually said was:
Hamilton D Wilkin (Letters, 8 March) persists in his illogical line of argument. If companies leave Scotland, fail to grow, or stay away, that does not make our economy a success; it reflects poorly on the role of the Union in our economy. I am sure it is no coincidence that the International Monetary Fund finds the wealthiest European nations, per head of population, are the small but independent nations of Luxembourg, Norway, Ireland, Iceland, and Denmark. The UK isn't even in the top ten.Alison Thewliss Glasgow
Not quite sure how to respond to this eejit, but I think I have to! Suggestions on a postcard please...
Previous letters between Mr Wilkin and I here:
8th March, 3rd March, and his original letter, 1st March
4 comments:
The answer is Charlie McCreevy - former Irish Finance Minister.
Thanks nice anonymous person - I'm aware of Charlie McCreevy, I saw him speak at an event in Brussels (held, rather ironically, in Scotland house!).
I think you might want to pick up on his last line by the way, an illusioned policy? As opposed to a disillusioned policy presumably? ;-)
Anyway, I would raise chancellor's plans such as the following.
Tax on cigarettes - Significantly high in order to reduce the number of smokers in the country, the reduced revenue equating to savings in the NHS of course. (Equivalent situation for booze and petrol, obviously)
VAT exempt services - This includes services from doctors and dentists and some types of education and training. Set up this way so that such services are more available for the general population. Chancellorsw happy to forego the revenue in exchange for healthier, better educated people.
Fairly basic tax situations that directly refute this chap's point. Infact, the SNP policy is so basic that you probably don't even need to reply to him, the guy is clearly grasping at straws or has some thick blinkers on.
I remember reading these articles at the time and it didn't cross my mind that the authoress ran a blog I checked everyday. Good stuff...
Cheers Jeff,
Gotta agree with you when you say "the guy is clearly grasping at straws or has some thick blinkers on"! Seems like he doesn't like me getting the last word.
I've written back in, will have to wait and see if it gets printed.
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