Scotland's budget: Your reaction

The Scottish government has announced plans to cut spending and bring in a public sector pay freeze in its budget for the year ahead.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said he was facing a cut of more than 拢1bn, affecting housing, education and tourism.

Mr Swinney added he would freeze public sector salaries for a year and end big bonuses.

大象传媒 News website readers in Scotland have been giving their verdicts on the plans.

Your comments

The cuts proposed in this budget are long overdue - in fact they are four years too late. This crisis has been developing for a while but now it comes as a shock to most people and unfortunately there will be many job losses and financial casualties. Local government employers must take the blame in not being efficient enough in their purchasing and procurement policies. One look at our parliament building says it all. Mike Swift, Bathgate

If public sector workers are now facing a pay freeze can we assume the government will pass legislation to freeze shop prices, fuel prices, rent increases, insurance increases and so on? S Peters, Edinburgh

I think he has done well considering the amount of money he received from Westminster. Colin Doig, Edinburgh

I fully support the SNP's budget and have full confidence in them - the SNP has done more for this country than Labour or the others have or will ever do! Michael, Edinburgh

I'm currently working in a Homeless Supportive Accommodation. Due to cutbacks made by the government, I'm now facing redundancy. So this clearly is not leaving me better off. Why should I have to be put through this stress as well as my wife and kids? Gary, Dundee

Will the SNP lead the way with cuts to MSPs' salaries? Sylvia Pascal, Glasgow

I won't be any better or worse off. I'm a public sector worker, so I will get a 拢250 rise as I'm under 21,000. The freeze is necessary to save jobs. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have to support it or they will be going against Westminster's cuts if they don't. No working man is going to support Labour who will put up the poll tax if they get in, otherwise they will be cutting their own throats. I support this budget, the rest of this country has to, so why not us Scots? John Carroll, East Wemyss, Fife

The number of 1000 extra police officers does not tell the full story. The real cost is a reduction in real terms of approx 5.6% next year. Indications are that none of this reduction is being bourne by police officers, it will come entirely from police staff. Cuts of this magnitude will mean only one thing - mass redundancies of police staff (possibly up to 50%) with unqualified police officers having to backfill the posts coming in off the street. Stephen Diamond, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire