I MARVEL at the audacity of the Scottish Tories to claim credit for alleviating Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire Service of an obligation to pay a multi-million pound VAT bill because the HM Treasury had a “principled” decision to make them pay because they were national and not local forces.

Notwithstanding that the police service in Northern Ireland has never been threatened with paying VAT, despite their centrally funded status, why should 12 more Tories resulting from the 2017 General Election have any conceivable effect on a “principled” decision by the Treasury. The Chancellor has played politics with the Scottish Government in changing a rule which he could have changed at the inception of the centralised services.

It reminds me of the last time the Treasury played silly beggars with a Scottish Government not to their liking. That was when the SNP Government tried to introduce a Local Income Tax (LIT) and found that they could not claim almost £500 million of rebate money because LIT ventured outside the definition of Council Tax. At least there was some measure of logic to that decision, despite the fact that we all knew it was Alistair Darling playing politics as usual.

This great Union we are supposed to have is nothing more than a farce. While we are at it, what about the £140m of back-payments due to Scotland? Let’s see whether the feeble 13 Tories can find a remedy for that.
Bill McDermott
Drumnadrochit

WHILE welcoming the Tory Chancellor’s U-turn on charging VAT to the police and fire & rescue services in Scotland, what is going to happen to the money he’s already taken? Is this ever going to be returned to the Scottish Government? I doubt it.

The decision to remove the VAT burden from these emergency services could have been done with a stroke of a pen when they were first formed, but the Tories decided to punish Scotland instead. The fact that the rules were changed to allow the English Highways Agency to be relieved of VAT highlights how easy it was for the Tory Government to remove the VAT burden from Scotland’s emergency services.
Kenny MacLaren, Councillor
Paisley

CUTTING through all the grandstanding point and counterpoint yesterday in the Westminster Budget deliberations and, at times, antics, the OBR has downgraded the UK’s projected productivity growth.

“Things can only get worse”, to crib another slogan of recent yore. Labour front-bench persons voted with the Conservatives to take the UK out of the single market and customs union. It seems the macro management of the economy by Westminster is failing while we still have free and frictionless access to the single market and are in the customs union! What will befall us after we leave the EU is anyone’s guess as Westminster cannot be effective in maximising gain within the biggest single market in Europe? I say “Westminster” as Corbyn’s Labour voted with the Conservatives to write leaving the single market and customs union into the Brexit Bill!

An amendment to keep the UK, and by implication Scotland, in the customs union and single market was proposed by a Scottish Labour MP and supported by the SNP. Where does that leave the branch now? What will the reaction be from Labour MSPs? Scots voted for remain, lest they forget! Perhaps Labour in Scotland will start to question head office?
John Edgar
Stewarton

WOMEN born in the 1950s who are suffering disproportionately as a result of pension-age equality were deafened by the silence of the Chancellor on the issue of their state pension.

It is a massive issue for thousands of women and an issue which has cross-party support for mitigating measures, yet the Chancellor did not see fit to mention it! However, SNP parliamentary leader Ian Blackford, in his reply to the Budget, gave mention as he illustrated the plight of those women, in that for every one month in age, those women are having three months added to their pension age – an outrage. Mr Blackford gave those women some hope in that a Private Member’s Bill is forthcoming on this matter and, with cross-party support, the Chancellor may have to re-calculate his Budget!
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk

A CURSORY glance at the Budget would create an impression that all of the UK will benefit from the financial programme. However, it is regrettable no steps are being taken by Westminster to prevent the “tax dodgers” from squirrelling away their assets to avoid paying their fair share of the costs of running the country.

This is not whining but, rather, legitimate criticism of a familiar pattern of fiscal acrobatics cynically adopted by a government determined to favour only carefully selected sections of our community.
John Hamilton
Bearsden

TUESDAY was a proud day for Inverclyde as the new car ferry, Glen Sannox, was launched from the Ferguson Marine yard in Port Glasgow.

In 1957, the previous Glen Sannox entered service, becoming a much-loved vessel. Maybe, 60 years from now, a new Glen Sannox will be needed, and Inverclyde shipbuilders will be ready with the skills and experience to build her.
Mike Thurlow
Wemyss Bay