Scottish budget: what it means for families

The SNP budget for the year ahead has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. You can read a summary here.

The Draft Budget protects investment in public services, as well as supporting business, jobs and economic growth.

Here’s how the Scottish budget means families in Scotland get the best deal anywhere in the UK.

• The Scottish budget will ensure that 7 out of 10 income tax payers in Scotland pay less tax next year, including everyone earning less than £33,000. And most Scots will pay less tax than if they lived in rest of the UK.
  
  

• We will increase health spending by more than £400 million, investing record revenue spending of £13.1 billion in our NHS.
  
  

• We will end the one per cent public sector pay cap. Next year we will deliver a minimum 3 per cent pay rise for public servants earning less than £30,000, a 2 per cent rise for those earning more and a cash cap on increases for those earning more than £80,000.
  
  

• We will increase funding to raise attainment in our schools to £179 million this year – with most going direct to headteachers to help ensure all young people can fulfil their potential.
  
  

• By the end of this parliament, we’ll increase the provision of free, high quality childcare to 30 hours a week. The Draft Budget allocates almost a quarter of a billion of new investment in the workforce and infrastructure necessary for this expansion.
  
  

• We will invest £756 million towards delivering 50,000 affordable homes by the end of this Parliament – two-thirds of which will be for social rent.
  
  

• Changes to Scottish stamp duty – Land and Buildings Transaction Tax – will ensure that 80 per cent of first time buyers don’t pay the tax at all.
  
  

• We have committed £600 million to delivering superfast broadband to all homes and premises by 2021.
  
  

• We will continue to protect free university tuition – there will be no tuition fees under the SNP.
  
  

• We’ll keep bills down and homes warm by investing £100 million to support energy efficiency programmes.
  
  

• We will continue to fund the Baby Box, giving every child born in Scotland the everyday essentials that they need.
  
  

• We will establish a social security system based on dignity and respect and invest over £100 million in mitigating UK welfare cuts including the Bedroom Tax.
  
  

• We will make the first investments through the £50 million Tackling Child Poverty Fund, to address the underlying causes of child poverty.
  
  

• We will increase the number of health visitors by 500 by the end of 2018, and increase Family Nurse Partnership provision to extend access to professional support throughout those critical early months and years of a child’s life.
  
  

• Carer’s Allowance will increase from next summer, with payments backdated to April 2018.