‘Wha’s like us?’ is a question we Scots like to ask. In terms of personal taxation the answer in a UK context is now nobody.
Our higher earners are officially the most taxed people in the UK.
One of the risks here is perception. If Scotland gets a reputation as an expensive place to do business it could end up being quite costly for the economy.
A person being offered a job in Edinburgh or Manchester will take tax into consideration, while an entrepreneur may have second thoughts over whether Scotland is the right place to launch their business.
Then there are the foreign investors — an area Scotland has done well in — who could also take a pause to consider whether it should be Glasgow or Newcastle.
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All that is something of a shame since there were some worthy business initiatives in the plans Derek Mackay unveiled during his 25-minute dash through the Scottish budget.
Reducing the poundage rate on business rates and abolishing the tax for thousands more small firms should be welcomed.
Few will argue with commitments to build more houses, spend on infrastructure, improve production and fund innovation.
But with Scotland’s economy stuck in the slow lane, there are precious few levers that can be magically pulled to jump-start growth.
Those sympathetic to the Scottish government could argue that Mr Mackay’s ambitions in his first budget were relatively muted as he does not have a great enough range of powers.
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Yet in the parlance of card game enthusiasts, you can only play the hand you are dealt. And Mr Mackay’s is the strongest of any Scottish finance secretary to date.
Watching the 39-year-old race through his entire budget in 25 minutes gave observers the strong impression of someone placing lots of little bets in the hope of winning big.
It remains to be seen whether the jackpot is going to be hit anytime soon.