FAI economist Dr Hannah Randolph is joined by our director Professor Mairi Spowage and deputy director João Sousa to discuss our newly published Budget Report. The panel talk about the challenges surrounding the Scottish Budget, the likely funding gap that will need to be addressed by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, the difficulties in planning for the long-term in the Scottish context and how Scottish Income Tax could be reformed.
Participants:
- Dr Hannah Randolph, Economist, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Mairi Spowage, Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
- João Sousa, Deputy Director, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde
Timestamps:
(00:25) The challenging backdrop to the Scottish Budget
(05:28) The impact of the Autumn Statement on the Scottish Budget
(08:33) Spending commitments from the Scottish Government since the Medium-Term Financial Strategy
(13:55) Options for reforming Scottish Income Tax
(22:51) The Scottish Government’s constraints on borrowing
(26:49) Main areas to look out for on Budget Day
Authors
Hannah is a Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. She specialises in applied social policy analysis with a focus on social security, poverty and inequality, labour supply, and immigration.
Mairi is the Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Previously, she was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government and has over a decade of experience working in different areas of statistics and analysis.
João is Deputy Director and Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. Previously, he was a Senior Fiscal Analyst at the Office for Budget Responsibility, where he led on analysis of long-term sustainability of the UK's public finances and on the effect of economic developments and fiscal policy on the UK's medium-term outlook.