Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 17 January 2024.
Clare Adamson
Scottish National Party
The Tories have imposed the highest tax level on record. Meanwhile, income inequality in the UK is higher than in any comparable European economy. The report calls for better, not just higher, taxes. Yesterday, we discussed the visitor levy, which is a common form of income generation in Europe. Does the Minister agree that, although most taxpayers in Scotland continue to pay less income tax than in the rest of the UK, we remain hamstrung by the Majority of UK tax policy and are prevented from fully delivering a fairer tax system and reducing income inequality?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
