Setting out his Budget to the Scottish Parliament, Finance Secretary John Swinney announced plans to increase the higher and top rates by 1p in the pound to fund record levels of health spending.
A leak inquiry is underway after details of tax increases were published in advance – the Presiding Officer was furious and delayed the statement to haul the First Minister and the Finance Secretary over the coals.
They denied leaking and eventually John Swinney was allowed to deliver his statement and it was much bolder than I think anyone had really expected.
John Swinney lambasted the economic mess the UK Government had created and said he rejected the austerity of their plans to sort it out.
Instead he is putting up higher tax rates and spending an extra half a billion pounds on health – a penny for patient care he called it.
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