Seòmar agus comataidhean

Charlotte Barbour, I have a straightforward question for you. Given current levels of wage increases, and assuming that there will be no change in the higher-rate tax threshold in Scotland, how many more Scottish taxpayers will be caught in fiscal drag from next April?

That is what we are trying to grasp, which is why we are relying on the evidence of our witnesses.

If you cannot put a figure on it in pounds, shillings and pence or anything of that nature, then over which other areas should transport be prioritised? Perhaps the best that we can envisage would be a static budget—it would probably represent a decline in real terms but be static or slightly higher in cash terms—so we will have to prioritise. If you are saying that we should spend more on public transport, for example—I ask about that because you specifically mentioned it in your submission—what should it be prioritised over?

Thank you very much for answering my opening questions. I will now allow colleagues in.

I should point out that the Scottish Government’s capital allocation was cut by 9.8 per cent in the current financial year. I understand the position that councils are in; the whole budget is in that position.

Thank you very much. I take it that that last point is about avoiding what we might call waste tourism. Is that correct?

Okay. Thank you very much.

That has exhausted our questions.

Item 2 is formal consideration of the motion on the instrument.

Motion moved,

That the Finance and Public Administration Committee recommends that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Prescribed Landfill Site Activities) Amendment Order 2022 (SSI 2022/233) be approved.—[Tom Arthur]

Motion agreed to.

Thank you for your time today, minister.

I suspend the meeting to allow for a brief changeover of witnesses.

I would have to look through it all to find it. I read the whole tome and took out the questions that I was going to ask so that I did not have to wrestle with a 50 or 60-page document.