Two-thirds of Scots say No to graduate tax

A poll found 64 per cent of Scots say graduates should pay the same rate of tax as non-graduates on the same salary. Only 26 per cent said graduates should be on a higher rate, according to the poll by Panelbase, while 9 per cent were undecided.

Glasgow University principal Professor Anton Muscatelli recently called for a graduate tax to be looked at as a way of addressing funding problems faced by Scotland's higher education sector.

The poll questioned 1,001 Scots on their attitudes to forthcoming spending cuts.

Ivor Knox of Panelbase said: "The most interesting aspect is that the idea of graduates paying more than other people is opposed right across the board, from company directors to the unemployed, homeowners to social housing tenants, and students through to the retired.

"Most people appear to regard this ongoing financial burden as unfair, when placed explicitly in the context of the general tax-paying population."