Introduction Background Note
21.The Scotland Act 2012 legislates for the Scottish rate of income tax, which is expected to be introduced in April 2016.  The annual basic, higher and additional rates of income tax set by the UK Government will be reduced by 10 pence in the pound for Scottish taxpayers. Annually the Scottish Parliament will levy a new Scottish rate of income tax which will apply equally to all of the reduced main UK income tax rates.  The application of the Scottish rate is achieved by amendments to ITA which determines the rate of tax paid by Scottish taxpayers on their non-savings income and dividends.
22.The Scottish rate has implications for particular aspects of the income tax system, for example Gift Aid and pensions tax relief.  HMRC consulted external organisations to agree a suitable way forward and published a Technical Note in May 2012 setting out how it intended to manage these issues. The Schedule makes amendments to the Scottish rate provisions in ITA so that the wider consequential changes can be made in a more straightforward manner by secondary legislation.