REFORM UK’s new “tax calculator” lays bare how the party will offer the steepest tax cuts to the wealthiest people in Scotland.
The party has come under fire after launching the new website, which allows people to see how much they would pay in tax under a Reform Scottish Government, which shows the best off will benefit most from their proposals.
A trial of the tool by The National found that people on lower incomes would benefit least from the plans.
Someone earning £28,000 per year would pay 3.8% less tax under Reform’s plans, while someone on a salary of £70,000 would get a cut of 14.5%.
It underlines analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) in January which found that the richest in society would be the “biggest direct beneficiaries” of the plans.
The IFS also said that the proposals implied around £4bn in cuts.
Malcolm Offord, Reform’s leader in Scotland, had previously proposed bringing Scottish income tax into line with the Westminster system. This has since been revised and the party has now said it would cut all Scottish income tax bands by three percentage points.
The tax calculator gives pre-set options for public sector workers, including nurses, teachers and train drivers. It gives options for the 2026-27 financial year, which it says would see Scottish income tax bands aligned with the rest of the UK and cut by one pence in the pound.
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It also gives the projections for its “2031 vision”, which would see a further reduction of two pence in the pound.
SNP MSP Karen Adam said: “Nigel Farage and Malcolm Offord must come clean with voters about what services they plan to cut to fund tax cuts for multi-millionaires like themselves.
“We know Farage would sell off our NHS in a heartbeat and Malcolm Offord has spoken openly about charging people for healthcare and prescriptions – what else would they charge people for?
“Most people in Scotland pay less tax than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK and we know Nigel Farage couldn’t care less about Scotland – only by voting SNP in May can we protect Scotland’s NHS and build a fairer, wealthier, country through a fresh start with independence.”
Patrick Harvie, former co-leader of the Scottish Greens added: “It’s no surprise that Reform’s big idea ahead of May’s election is to cut taxes for the richest. Their plan would hand huge tax breaks to millionaires, who hit the jackpot while working people pay for it.
“It is also no surprise that Reform’s leader in Scotland, a former Tory donor and unelected Lord, would likely be among those set to benefit the most. Reform is a party of the super rich for the super rich and funded by the super rich.
“It’s money that should be spent on our NHS, schools and local services, but instead they would give it back to their rich mates and those who are bankrolling them in the form of tax cuts.”
A Reform UK Scotland spokesperson said that to encourage people to work in Scotland “tax is the single most important lever that we can pull”.
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