THAT £5000 TAX BILL

Remember in May we got a lecture about a £5000 tax bill? Well now we know.

Thanks to Jamie Hepburn, a fellow jagophile as well as a good SNP MSP, who asked for the current costs, we discover that the cost of PPP/PFI contracts in Scotland are just shy of £5000 for every Scot, or £22.3 billion if you prefer.

As has been pointed out by the Herald today, some of these projects will be privately run after the payments are made, a bit like your mortgage lender insisting they still own your house after you've made all your payments.

This report is complemented by those commissioned by UNISON over the last few years as to the cost of these projects. The costs represent a serious challenge to any Scottish Government who will be unable to alter these figures as they are ring-fenced.

The good news of course began this week, with the announcement by Kenny MacAskill to drop plans for a £100 million private prison.

These figures show quite clearly the need to a more effective and efficient means of borrowing.

The need for Scottish Futures Trusts cannot now be more stark. The need for Scotland to control its macroeconomic policy becomes more profound

The British Labour Party (Scotland Region) must be brought to book for this scandal. Gordon Brown cannot escape this one either given that these projects were created under his stewardship of the economy.

Public Sector funding must be a major campaign issue for the next Westminster Election.