The Aporia · Malcolm Offord pledges to review ‘nuts’ income tax system in Scotland

Malcolm Offord pledges to review ‘nuts’ income tax system in Scotland

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Press Association Scotland Reporter. (2026, September 5). Malcolm Offord pledges to review ‘nuts’ income tax system in Scotland. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/scotland-reform-uk-birmingham-holyrood-labour-b1295896.html

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Lord Malcolm Offord has pledged that Reform UK will review the six-band income tax system in Scotland, which he calls "nuts". He claims that the system is dragging people into higher tax bands and increasing their marginal tax rate. A Scottish Government spokesperson counters that the majority of taxpayers pay less income tax than those in the rest of the UK due to progressive taxation policies. The government also notes that since 2017-18, more people have moved to Scotland for work than left, with an average net inflow of almost 4,600 per year.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-05, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

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Story summary

Lord Malcolm Offord, a member of the Reform UK party, has pledged to review the income tax system in Scotland, which he calls "nuts" due to its six-band system. This system, he claims, drags many people into higher tax bands, resulting in a much higher marginal tax rate for some individuals, such as nurses. Offord's party came in second place in the May elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government spokesperson responded that most taxpayers in Scotland can expect their taxes to remain relatively low. The pledge from Reform UK has been met with criticism from SNP MSP Alex Kerr, who accused Offord of being part of a government that crashed the economy and now serving under someone who "dragged us out of the European market".

Written for “Scottish Income Tax Review” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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15%

2 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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Press Association Scotland Reporter

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🔮 Lord Malcolm Offord said the party would review the six-band income tax system north of the border.

2026-09-05 · assertive framing · Malcolm Offord pledges to review ‘nuts’ income tax system in Scotland

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Claims (13 extracted, 2 hedged)

Lord Malcolm Offord said the party would review the six-band income tax system north of the border. asserted

party → say → border

He said: “We’ll deal with the income tax. asserted

We → say → tax

“So we are now in the most heavily taxed part of the UK. asserted

we → tax → UK

We have six bands – income tax bands – in Scotland, versus three in the UK. asserted

We → have → UK

“We’re dragging a lot of people who would normally be in medium wages, like nurses etc, into higher tax bands, which is nuts. asserted

which → drag → bands

“By being dragged into these higher tax bands and sometimes losing other marginal benefits, you’re ending up paying a much higher marginal tax rate.” asserted

you → drag → rate

Lord Offord led Reform UK to joint second place at Holyrood in the elections in May. uncertain

Offord → lead → May

SNP MSP Alex Kerr said: “Lord Offord was part of a Liz Truss’ government which crashed the economy and now serves under the man who dragged us out of the European market – we will take no lectures from him. Read More “Reform isn’t interested in supporting working people, they are only focused on helping out their rich pals. “ asserted

they → say → pals

Today Offord should have been calling on Farage to resign, but he has failed that test and will now be left to defend the indefensible.” asserted

he → call → indefensible

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The majority of taxpayers in Scotland can expect to pay less income tax than those in the rest of the UK thanks to our progressive income tax policies, which raised a record £18.8 billion for the Scottish Budget in 2024-25. asserted

which → say → 2024

“The approach to progressive taxation also means that those who earn more pay a little more to support policies that are not enjoyed elsewhere in the UK, such as free university tuition, free prescriptions, and the game-changing Scottish Child Payment. asserted

that → mean → tuition

“The most up-to-date information available, to 2022-23, suggests that since the introduction of Scottish Income Tax in 2017-18, more people with taxable income have come to Scotland than have left, with net inflows averaging almost 4,600 per year. uncertain

people → suggest → year

“Our economy is one of the best performing parts of the UK, with Scotland the top UK destination for foreign direct investment outside of London for the past 11 years.” asserted

Scotland → perform → years

Malcolm Offord pledges to review ‘nuts’ income tax system in Scotland

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Claims (13 extracted, 2 hedged)