I read recently that a man famed for his truthfulness, and deep concern for people in poverty, claimed that Scotland is the "the high tax capital of the United Kingdom" and that could be causing more children to grow up in poverty. I wanted to see how much truth there is to that. So I threw this together.
Drag the Pre-Tax Income slider left and right to see how it affects the amount of income tax you would pay in Scotland and England.
Assuming I got my code/calculations correct, if you earn less than about £28 thousand then you pay less tax in Scotland. Above that you pay more. Given that the median income in Scotland is £26,900, that means more than half of the people in Scotland pay less tax than they would if they lived in England.
| TAX BAND | NET PAY (£) | TAX (£) | RATE | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance* | 0.00 | 0% | Up to £12,570 | |
| Starter Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 19% | Up to £14,732 |
| Basic Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20% | Up to £25,688 |
| Intermediate Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 21% | Up to £43,662 |
| Higher Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 42% | Up to £125,140 |
| Top Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 47% | Over £125,140 |
| TOTALS | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| TAX BAND | NET PAY (£) | TAX (£) | RATE | NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Allowance* | 0.00 | 0% | Up to £12,570 | |
| Basic Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20% | Up to £50,278 |
| Higher Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 40% | Up to £125,140 |
| Additional Rate | 0.00 | 0.00 | 45% | Over £125,140 |
| TOTALS | 0.00 | 0.00 |