Bute House (photograph) is the First Minister's residence in Edinburgh, the place where the great and good are wined and dined, meetings are held and decisions about the future of Scotland are made.
Today's Sunday Post front page headline reads 'Salmond accused of staggering hypocrisy'. Now I have to admit I've never had the pleasure of seeing hypocrisy staggering but I have witnessed over the years a few hypocrites giving a very good impression of stotting (English translation - bouncing).
Mr Salmond is being accused of not paying the council tax on his official residence in Edinburgh. Three years ago the SNP (then in opposition), attacked Jack McConnell for failing to pay the estimated £2338 a year bill and last night the Tories revealed the current inhabitant hasn't stumped up either, unlike Gordon Brown who pays the charge for 10 Downing Street. So the matter of tax on Bute House has been rumbling on for years it would seem.
Annabel Goldie accused the First Minister of 'milking the system for his own personal gain.'
But an aide to the First Minister reacted angrily to the criticism, claiming Bute House is classified as business premises and so is subject to business rates. He said re-designating the building as a domestic property would deprive the local authority of £22,601 a year in business rates income and a sum 10 times the council tax.
There's something not quite right about this. Hasn't an assessor visited the premises and told the First Minister whether the property qualifies for council tax, business rates or a bit of both? Anyone can receive as much advice as they like but none of us can avoid the taxes we are required by law to pay; unless we are prepared to pay the penalty.
Perhaps the First Minister should sort this out like, erm, yesterday. All his office has to do is to produce the record showing the payments of the business rates to the local council.
The FM's spokesman's last words were: "The First Minister makes no claim from parliament under the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance, unlike those Tory MSPs who claim their council tax payments back from the taxpayer. And he gives his entire gross Holyrood salary to charity."
Ouch! That should shut the opposition up!
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8 comments:
Curse of Bute House
If Annabel is pushing the line then it should be
"The Curse of The Aunty"
Boom Boom
I'll get my coat
whooooosh
I knew I could improve on the title FC!
John Swinney was on the politics show and he stated Bute House had been assessed as business premises.
Send Annabel a copy of the payments John and that'll halt her ravings.
Even better, perhaps the Sun would publish them. :)
Auntie Annabelle said WHAT??
Aye, the poor wuman is not quite herself these days, right enough.
Perhaps a little on messaging would have been in order with her Mr Chairman, Sur.
...she might then have engaged her brain before rattling her gums so.
Mr Andrew Fulton, who has more than a passing association with another property in Charlotte Square might have informed herself that, pissing into the wind has it's consequences.
It would be interesting to discover, whether a neighbouring property, allegedly belonging to a public institution,( Embra Uni ) and allegedly 'Grace and favoured' to the SPEC are paying beezness, residential, or whatever to the council.
...And would it not put an end to the speculative debating, both within and without that neighbouring Charlotte Square property if we knew the answer to that?
Perhaps we should be told.
...and while I'm on the subject of Mr Fulton.
I wonder if he had anything to do with the latest sordid revelations concerning Lockerbie in yesterday's Herald? Mr Fulton has an interest in that, you know.
Did you know he was a member of the Lockerbie Trial Briefing Unit?
Until he had to slink away after being unmasked as a somebody in HM spookery.
He's a beeznessman these days apparently, something to do with erm security and consultations.
...as in, Embra calling, Embra calling. Can you hear me London.
...or was that London calling, can you hear us, Embra?
You know, we Scots are generally well mannered folk.
...and like to return the compliments to ourselves, if we can.
Soooo.....
Yer being watched, Mr Spook.
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PS. ah like the word verification ah had tae type in for tha posting of this comment.
erm.... gooff
It has it's relevances, has it not?
It was in the Sunday Herald too subrosa - in 2007.
In June 2007 Salmond instructed officials to look at splitting Bute House into business and residential - turns out that wasn't possible for a myriad of technical reasons.
The whole story is bullshit. It's a new low for the Scottish media, regurgitating an old story from the month after Salmond was elected as FM.
Aye she is clutching at the proverbial straw right enough wisnaeme.
Now do give me a link for Andrew Fulton. He sounds kind of interesting.
Hello Observer, thanks for that information. I vaguely remembered something but didn't find anything in google. I really will have to try to improve my search skills or start using another search engine.
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Just do a Google search for Andrew Fulton, Subrosa.
It's a Telegraph article by Auslan Cramb, dated 29th Feb. 2008.
...and titled:
Former MI6 Spy To Head Scottish Tory Party.
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Ah right wisnaeme, yer ringing loud bells now. Will google him.
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