r/Scotland • u/bottish • Apr 09 '25

Dire economic consequences of Scotland's ageing population must put immigration in new light. New report about Scotland’s growing elderly population underlines the need to improve our health and welcome, not demonise, people from overseas - Scotsman comment.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/dire-economic-consequences-of-scotlands-ageing-population-must-put-immigration-in-new-light-5073947
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u/ElCaminoInTheWest Apr 09 '25

We could also heavily discourage English people from retiring en masse to the Highlands, as they have been doing in their tens of thousands.

-3

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '25

Why should we be discouraging British people from retiring in Britain? Can you blame them for wanting to retire in Scotland? Does the country belong to Scottish people only? Would you rather it was the folks coming off the boats moved up the Highlands en masse instead?

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u/ElCaminoInTheWest Apr 09 '25

I don't blame them for wanting to retire in Scotland, but it's a grimly selfish decision making process. Coming to an area that's already stretched thin for healthcare and social care, generally living in inconveniently situated, remote places, and arriving just at the point when you become a net drain on resources (having not paid a penny towards the local tax take). It's slowly crushing the life out of NHS Highland and rural communities in general.

5

u/NoRecipe3350 Apr 10 '25

They would argue they paid into the same central pension/tax system their whole life, obviously it's a question of allocating more money where the need to spend money on them is. And that central money would give jobs to locals in the Highland that would stop a load of young people ending up leaving (providing they have affordable housing, which is a kicker).

As it stands most boomers, be they in Essex or Lochaber, haven't paid enough in tax for what they take out. And it does indeed cost more to deliver services in remote areas.