The Scottish Government’s determination to tax Scots until the pips squeaks knows no bounds with their consultation on council tax bands, an additional income tax band planned, as well as rumours of an 20 per cent inheritance tax for properties under the UK’s £360,000 threshold.

With every Scot earning over £28,000 paying more income tax than our English neighbours, the SNP and the extremist Greens now want council tax band E to H households to pay more.

Not just a little more, but up to 22.5 per cent more in the highest band. Nearly half of Argyll and Bute’s E-H bands are in the Helensburgh and Lomond area and assuming a five per cent increase in local council tax happens, those at the top end could face increases of over £1,000 next year with council tax bills of nearly £4,700 a year.

Not sure how this is progressive, it just seems cold, calculating and punitive, especially when at the other end of the scale you read that nearly 150,000 working age Scot’s have never worked at all. Ever.

Although the consultation closed on Wednesday, September 20, I would encourage as many to write to their MSPs, SNP and Green ministers to make their views known.

Crime

At our area committee last week, we received the normal Police Scotland report and the thing that struck me was the lack of information on crime statistics and how the police were fighting crime in our patch.

Instead, we read a lot about Police Scotland’s “Pride” and “Hate” campaigns which is symptomatic in how our police have gone from a “force” to “service” to now apparent “woke campaigner”.

A ‘PC’ used to be an officer on the beat; now it’s a way of working.

In contrast, I look around our area and hear that retailers are concerned about shoplifting; the fact that we see 12-year-olds walking around openly vaping and drinking bottles of Buckfast; to say nothing of the foul language and intimidating behaviour that we witness far too often around the train station.

I suppose none of this is too great a surprise when we see the SNP’s soft touch justice system allowing nearly 100,000 criminals including shoplifters, domestic abusers and sex offenders to escape prosecution and get a slap on the wrist with a warning.

The latest SNP plan is to create a shooting gallery in Glasgow for drug users, with possession of the likes of heroin being effectively sanctioned.

“Am aff tae the Glesga Gallery” will by the riposte we hear; 16 years of SNP rule and this is what it’s come to.