Sunday Mail | Sunday 12th April 2026

One of Scotland’s most successful businesswomen, Dr Marie Macklin, has said politicians at Holyrood must get tougher on welfare abuse.

…

One of Scotland’s most successful businesswomen has demanded billions lost to benefit fraud is recouped to spend on tax cuts for low earners.

Dr Marie Macklin says politicians must get tougher on welfare abuse and use the money recovered to ease the burden on struggling workers as the country faces a deepening cost-of-living crisis.

With the Holyrood election campaign under way, she warned there is “precious little excitement” among voters and said politicians are failing to inspire a public desperate for hope.

Macklin, a serial entrepreneur who was CEO of Kilmarnock based KLIN Group before founding the HALO regeneration project, said: “No wonder there’s a lack of enthusiasm when times are as hard as they are.

“People are struggling and they’re looking to politicians for answers, but they’re not seeing anything bold or inspiring coming back.”

Drawing comparisons with the economic turmoil of the 70s, Macklin added: “At times, it feels like being back in that era – a global fuel crisis, rising costs and real pressure on household finances. People remember how tough that was, and there are clear parallels today.”

The Ayrshire-based investor believes one of the clearest ways to restore confidence would be a crackdown on benefit fraud, which she claims is draining billions from the public purse.

In March it emerged a prospective SNP candidate for May’s Holyrood election was forced to stand down after it emerged she was being investigated over an alleged benefits fraud.

Sally Donald – who was selected to contest the Edinburgh Southern seat – is being investigated by Social Security Scotland over claims for the Adult Disability Payment (ADP).

There has been claims fraudulent claims for the benefit could run into billions alone.

Macklin said: “An estimated £9.7billion a year is overpaid in welfare due to fraud and error, and only around £1billion is recovered. That is an extraordinary gap. We are talking about vast sums of taxpayers’ money that should be going to support public services and those in genuine need.”

The businesswoman insisted the issue strikes a chord with working people. She said: “They look at this and ask why it seems to pay to defraud the system but not to work hard and contribute.

That sense of unfairness is real and it’s growing. “Welfare payments are absolutely vital and must be protected for those who genuinely need them. But they should not be open to abuse.”

With more social security powers now controlled in Scotland she argued Holyrood must take responsibility.

She added: “If powers are devolved, then accountability must follow. All parties should be committing to serious action on this. If we tackled fraud and waste properly, we could put billions back into the system.”

“We should be looking at how we incentivise work, particularly for younger people starting out. Encouraging enterprise and ambition is key to building a stronger economy.”

She has suggested one way of putting money back into the pockets of low paid workers would be to remove tax on tips for hospitality workers.

She added: “That’s a simple change that would have a real impact. For people working in bars, restaurants and hotels, tips can make up a significant part of their income.”

Macklin insisted tackling waste and inefficiency while boosting the economy is the only way to tackle a budget black hole in Scotland which is forecast to reach nearly £5billion by the end of the decade.

She said: “There’s a narrative that the only options are higher taxes or cuts to services. If we address inefficiencies, fraud and waste, we can change that equation.”

Macklin was awarded a CBE in 2014 and is the founder and executive chair of The HALO Urban Regeneration in her hometown of Kilmarnock.

View article via Sunday Mail.