Business
Shona Robison may ‘potentially revisit’ Scottish taxes in response to UK Budget
Scotland’s Finance Secretary says she may have to “potentially revisit” her tax plans amid reports the Chancellor will increase income tax in the Budget this month.
Shona Robison said the Scottish Government had a “very limited” set of levers to respond if Rachel Reeves makes the tax decision on November 26.
The Fraser of Allander Institute has estimated a 2p income tax hike in the UK Budget could cut Scotland’s funding by £1 billion because of the way the fiscal framework operates.
Ms Robison has requested an urgent meeting with the Chancellor, saying Ms Reeves should ditch her fiscal rules and instead deliver investment “to grow the economy and support people with the cost of living”.
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Ms Robison said the fiscal framework does not take account of changes to national insurance – another levy the Chancellor is reportedly considering changing.
The fiscal framework governs the public money coming to the Scottish Government, but Ms Robison said the system is now in “uncharted territory” as it did not envisage simultaneous changes to both income tax and national insurance.
Ms Robison was asked if she would raise Scottish income tax rates in response to any income tax increase in the Chancellor’s Budget.
She said: “I’m not going to set out here today what our plans for income tax are when we don’t know what we’re going to face on the 26th…
“If we end up in this scenario, then the levers available to us are very limited.
“Unless there is flexibility given to us through the fiscal framework – which would be my first ask, that we need to have that flexibility.
“Because we don’t want to raise taxes, we had already set out in the tax strategy that we want to see that stability till the end of the Parliament.
“But in the event of unforeseen exceptional circumstances, clearly we would have to potentially revisit that.”
Under the devolution settlement, the Scottish Government has powers to adjust income tax rates north of the border.
An HM Treasury spokesperson said earlier: “Our record funding settlement for Scotland will mean over 20% more funding per head than the rest of the UK.
“We have also confirmed £8.3 billion in funding for GB Energy-Nuclear and GB Energy in Aberdeen, up to £750 million for a new supercomputer at Edinburgh University, and are investing £452 million over four years for City and Growth Deals across Scotland.
“This investment is all possible because our fiscal rules are non-negotiable, they are the basis of the stability which underpins growth.”
Business
Without Rera data, real estate reform risks losing credibility: Homebuyers’ body – The Times of India
New Delhi: More than 75% of state real estate regulators, Reras, have either never published annual reports, discontinued their publication or not updated them despite statutory obligation and directions from the housing and urban affairs ministry, claimed homebuyers’ body FPCE on Friday. It released status report of 21 Reras as of Feb 13.The availability of updated annual reports is crucial as these contain details of data on performance of Reras, including project completion status categorised by timely completion, completion with extensions, and incomplete projects. The ministry’s format for publishing these reports also specifies providing details such as actual execution status of refund, possession and compensation orders as well as recovery warrant execution details with values and list of defaulting builders.FPCE said annual report data is not only vital for homebuyers to assess system credibility, but is equally necessary for both state and central govts to frame effective policies, design incentivisation schemes, and develop tax policy frameworks.“Unless we have credible data proving that after Rera the real estate sector has improved in terms of delivery, fairness, and keeping its promises, we are merely firing in the air,” said FPCE president Abhay Upadhyay, who is also a member of the govt’s Central Advisory Council on Rera.As per details shared by the entity, seven states — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Goa — have never published a single annual report since Rera’s implementation, and nine states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, which initially published reports, have discontinued the practice.Upadhyay said when regulators themselves don’t follow the law, they lose the legal right to demand compliance from other stakeholders. “Their failure emboldens builders and weakens the very system they are meant to safeguard,” he said.
Business
Infosys Rolls Out 85% Average Performance Bonus In Q3FY26, Best In Over 3 Years
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Over recent quarters, payouts had gradually improved from roughly 65 percent to 80 percent and now to an average of about 85 percent in Q3FY26.

Infosys logo is seen.
IT major Infosys rolled out performance bonus payouts averaging around 85 percent for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 (Q3FY26), marking the strongest variable pay outcome for eligible employees in at least the past three-and-a-half years, Moneycontrol reported citing people in the know.
The bonus payout for mid- to junior-level employees ranges between 75 percent and 100 percent, with most employees clustering around the organisation-wide average of 85 percent, the report said. The development signals a steady recovery in variable compensation at the Bengaluru-headquartered IT services firm. Over recent quarters, payouts had gradually improved from roughly 65 percent to 80 percent and now to an average of about 85 percent in Q3FY26.
Employees are expected to receive their bonus letters over the next few days, with the payout scheduled to be credited along with their February salary.
One employee told the outlet that it is the strongest bonus outcome seen in recent years. The payout is also among the rare instances since the Covid-19 period when variable pay has approached the upper end of the eligible range.
Infosys last paid out 100 percent variable compensation during the pandemic. In the quarters that followed, payouts were lower amid macroeconomic uncertainty and a broader slowdown in client spending across global markets.
The higher payout comes at a time when global IT stocks have faced renewed pressure, driven by concerns over rapid advances in artificial intelligence and their potential impact on traditional IT services models.
Shares of global IT firms have seen sharp sell-offs in recent weeks amid heightened investor focus on AI leaders such as Anthropic. Investors fear that generative AI tools could compress pricing, automate routine services work and reduce demand for legacy outsourcing models.
Against that backdrop, the improved bonus payout at Infosys is being viewed as a signal of operational resilience and near-term performance strength, even as sentiment around the broader IT sector remains cautious.
February 13, 2026, 21:44 IST
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