I DO not agree with Ros Altmann (“‘Hard to imagine’ UK won’t honour Scots’ pensions”, Feb 16) about the complications of separating Scottish pensioners/contributors out of the UK National Insurance scheme.

Who should fund the state pension (or Scottish Universal Pension going forward) does not seem a constructive argument to get into. That hands the advantage to rUK in indyref2 as all they need to tell pensioners is that they won’t pay. We can threaten any number of international court cases, appeals to the UN or whatever, but none of that will win us indyref2. The GERS 2021 document shows National Insurance brings in £11,476 million, while the state pension costs £8517m (in 2020), so even using Unionist data, Scotland can easily afford to pay the state pensions of all of us. There is no fund, there are no investments and there are no assets as it is a pay as you go scheme. That would also seem fair to me (I am Aquarius!) since it would be entirely unreasonable to expect rUK to fund our pensions for the next 40 years while we collect the National Insurance revenues.

So as of Independence Day, the Scottish Government takes over the state pension – lock, stock and barrel. The Baroness thinks this would be very difficult due to having to identify who paid what, where and when. That is not the case as the fact this isn’t a fund simplifies matters hugely. The only thing that counts is what your National Insurance pension entitlement is on Independence Day and whether you are on that day domiciled in Scotland or not. Where and when you paid any National Insurance before that date is not relevant as it all went into the same HM Treasury account and it all got spent on entitlements at the time. So all those considered legally domiciled in Scotland by HMRC have their records transferred to Pensions Scotland and get paid by the Scottish Government after Independence Day and everyone else stays in the rUK system. If you move north after independence, then you will be treated the same as somebody who retires to Spain, and rUK will be liable. If a Scot moves south after Independence Day, then the Scottish Government will be liable.

The Scottish Currency Group is holding an online talk (see Eventbrite) about this on Wednesday, February 24, at 7pm.

Tim Rideout

Dalkeith

GRAEME McCormick is absolutely correct again regarding the means of “levelling up” Scotland with affordable and equitable resources (Letters, Feb 16).

Anyone in any doubts regarding where the wealth of Scotland lies need look no further than an article from The Scottish Farmer, pressed from the same offices as The National, titled “Scottish farmland enjoys strongest value growth across all UK land types”.

Scotland’s land, our great national asset, must be of immediate and lasting benefit to us all, as necessary, by being the source of revenue to fill the coffers of the nation’s public services through Annual Ground Rent, and not by the drawing of funds on the homes of all residing here from a disproportionate council tax system inevitably falling heaviest on those with the least resources at their disposal.

Tom Gray

Braco

IN the National on February 15 is an article about the possible reintroduction of road tolls (“Will road tolls return to Scottish transport? The story so far”). There is this statement: “Now however, Transport Scotland suspects that times have changed. Citing research from the Social Market Foundation, their route map argues ‘the public mood on road pricing has moved on since the 2000s, and that in 2021 more people support than oppose road pricing as a concept, with a majority of people agreeing that road pricing would reduce congestion and pollution’.”

I do not believe it and I cannot see how pricing reduces traffic. I would need to see the data from business and the public. Logic tells you that for business activity and public travel to and from work or shopping that this will stay constant. It may cause those on lower income levels to stop visits to family or other social travel. Public transport has its place but does not go everywhere – it is slow but useful for intercity.

In the good old days of bridge tolls, you could queue for ages at rush hours causing pollution and frustration. There were lots of minor accidents as well.

Do you remember a few years ago Edinburgh was going to introduce tolls to get into the city? There was an outrage and the idea was quickly dropped.

Surely the answer is hydrogen and electric vehicles? Hydrogen works with all vehicle sizes but electric only for lightweight vehicles like cars or small vans. 28% of city air pollution comes from air conditioning and central heating and buses.

Economists tell you that a thriving economy needs good road and rail networks to help the flow of commerce and reduce shipping costs.

I would want to see proof that tolls reduce pollution before I could accept the reintroduction of road tolls. I would also suggest that if this goes ahead, the SNP would lose votes. Lots of them. Mine included.

Robert Anderson

Dunning