Let’s go it alone

John Donald’s defence of the flawed UK tax system (Letters, 14 August) comes on the day Paul Johnston of the Institute of Fiscal Studies wrote in

the Financial Times that the tax system is a mess because it does not tax capital, and housing wealth in particular.

He argues that pensions and ISAS create perverse tax incentives

that are deeply unjust as they increase the gap between the rich and poor, who increasingly rely on public services that have suffered a chronic lack of investment through

years of UK austerity. As a further example, Norway expects £21 billion in oil and gas revenues this year while the UK will struggle to raise £1bn in taxation when production costs have halved since 2014 to around $15 a barrel and the price is expected to reach $80 a barrel by the end of this year.

In the last 50 years, as much North Sea oil and gas has been extracted in Scottish waters as in Norway’s, yet Norway has a sovereign wealth fund of £800 billion and a far higher standard of living. Yet prounion supporters try to tell us that Scotland’s GERS deficit under UK control is a ringing endorsement of continued Westminster rule.

It amazes me that people like Mr Donald continue to think that the UK, with a national debt of £2000 billion, and much poorer public services, manages our taxes and economy better than Scotland could after self government.

FRASER GRANT Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh