Scottish income inequality surges as rich get richer

[Skezaz]

As Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon begins setting out plans for a second independence referendum amid economic uncertainty following the UK’s Brexit vote, official statistics show wealth disparity in Scotland is widening.

Scotland’s richest 10 per cent saw the largest increases in income over 2014/15, while the proportion of working households entering into poverty levels has increased, according to the latest figures from the Scottish Government.

The top 10 per cent saw incomes rise by 15 per cent more than the bottom 40 per cent combined, the report says. In 2013/14, the same group saw incomes rise by 12 per cent more.

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[bryant.coleman]

I am not surprised. The influx of the Eastern Europeans means that the poor Scots remain poor, and the rich gets even richer. The poor are seeing their jobs stolen by the Poles and the Lithuanians, and rental rates getting more expensive. On the other hand, the rich (especially the landlords) are seeing an upswing in revenue, due to increase in demand for apartments and cheap labor.