SIR,

If I lived 10 miles south of here

– in England – as a first-time buyer, buying a property of £449,999, I would pay no tax. In Scotland, I would pay £17,749.00.

Neil, who is my young partner with a young family who was living in rented accommodation, when the opportunity came to purchase a cottage next to land that the partnership had purchased a few years ago, it seemed to good to miss.

Unfortunately, the only way for Neil to buy it was through the partnership. This resulted in not only a £12,008.00 LBTT payment but £17,640.00 Additional Dwelling Supplement tax payment.

A total of £29,648.

In England, it would be £18,700.00 – £10,948.00 less.

To pay for this, Neil had to sell 190 ewe hoggs.

This year, I had to pay income tax (an unusual event) but because of the Scottish Government control over personal taxation, I had to pay considerably more than I would in England.

The Scottish Government keep saying they have no money but our taxes are considerably higher than the rest of the UK.

10 miles can make a big difference!

Stephen Withers