With the Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) due to come into force in April next year, Isobel d’Inverno guides you through what you need to know.
What is the Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT)?
It is an income tax rate to be set by the Scottish Parliament, which will be paid by Scottish taxpayers from April 2016.
How does the SRIT work?
The income tax rates of Scottish taxpayers will be reduced by 10 percentage points, and the SRIT will be added on instead. If the SRIT is set at 10%, Scottish taxpayers will pay the same as taxpayers in the rest of the UK. If it is set at 11% they will pay 1% more, and if it is set at 9% they will pay 1% less.
The SRIT doesn’t apply to all income, only to employment and pensions income, and income from property. Investment income, such as interest and dividends, will be subject to the normal UK rates.
Can the SRIT be used to make Scottish income tax more progressive?
No - the SRIT is a very blunt instrument because it has to be applied equally across all the tax bands, so the Scottish Government could not reduce the lower rates and increase the higher rates.
That will be possible in the future when the Scottish Parliament gets complete control over income tax rates and bands for Scottish taxpayers under the Smith Commission proposals. The start date for these provisions was expected to be 2018, though recent reports suggest it could be as early as 2017.
Who will have to pay it?
Individuals who have a close connection with Scotland, and this depends on where you live rather than where you work. It is up to HMRC rather than employers to determine which taxpayers are Scottish taxpayers. HMRC will be contacting Scottish taxpayers to confirm the position towards the end of this year.
How will the SRIT be collected?
The SRIT will be collected by HMRC, mainly through PAYE, and the proceeds will be paid to the Scottish Government. Special PAYE "S" codes will be issued to Scottish taxpayers.
What is the rate likely to be?
Most people expect the SRIT to be set at 10%, and so to not actually make any difference to Scottish taxpayers. It is unlikely to be higher given the UK Government’s undertaking not to raise income tax rates during the life of this Parliament, and if it is lower than 10% it could make quite a hole in the Scottish budget.
Why is the SRIT being introduced next year, with full control over income tax rates at a later stage?
Given that the Scottish Government has to bear the implementation costs, some feel it would make more sense to move straight to the wider tax powers that would give Holyrood complete control over income tax rates. On the other hand, perhaps it is no bad thing to use the SRIT to test out the Scottish taxpayer arrangements to make sure they actually work, before the more significant Scottish income tax changes are brought in.
Isobel d’Inverno is Director of Corporate Tax at Brodies LLP. To talk about the SRIT or any other issue, you can contact her on 0131 656 0122, or at isobel.dinverno@brodies.com
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