“I earn £770 a month.”

On Wednesday the Scottish Budget will reveal spending decisions that will affect how much tax Scots pay for the next financial year.

The levels of Scotland’s unique income tax system will be set and we will find out how much the Scottish Government will spend on services such as the NHS, schools and transport.

BBC News Scotland spoke to people of different incomes about what they expect from the Budget and, in some cases, what impact they might fear.

If there are any issues you would like to see covered, you can contact us via Your voice, your BBC news.

Llion Wright-Evans, 24, is a nursing student who works in one of Glasgow’s largest hospitals.

It was a big step for him to give up his full-time job as a team leader in a care home – from £15 an hour to a £770 a month stipend. At the end of his training his starting nursing salary will be £16.50 per hour.

He believes he has an important role to play in the struggling NHS and is hoping for investment from the Scottish Government.

“What they announce affects my career. It influences my decisions in everything.”

“Will I be able to take a break and treat myself, or can I afford to eat something next week?” A significant increase in funding would be good because the answer is: more people.”

“As a student, I am fortunate to be able to spend time with the patients, but the actual nurses struggle. I see valuable personnel leaving.”

Leo lives with his partner and considers himself lucky.

“We split everything 50:50 and even then I sometimes live month to month. Sometimes I borrow money from my mother. A lot of my cohort live alone, so it’s worse for them.”

Llion tops up his stipend by working shifts at the nursing home. He can earn between £400 and £1,400 a month but has to balance this with his nursing assignments. He must complete 2,300 hours of training on the stations.

He also wants more progressive taxation.

“Those who earn more and have more income should be taxed more. There is more to do, even though Scotland is the most progressive country in the UK.”

Reverend Derek Gunn from Falkirk tops up his pension with stints as a part-time vicar.

His income is not far above the pension credit limit, so he will not receive a winter fuel subsidy this year.

He is pleased with the Scottish Government’s plans to ease the loss of the allowance from next year – but fears it is still a cause for concern among older citizens.

He considers himself lucky that he is “not at serious risk” from the reduction in his income, but he worries about others.

“Through my work I see many others who are really concerned about this loss of money.

“I see a lot of concern about this. People had this advantage for several years and relied on it.”

“It’s not a dependency for me, but it’s a big help and has given us a little more freedom in how we use the heating, especially at Christmas when family are visiting.”

“I’m now thinking about how much we’ll miss that money if I give up my part-time job.”

“It’s not far away.”

Derek is also concerned about food prices.

“Things are increasing in all areas – if the price stays the same, the size decreases.”

“We prepare all our own food because it is cheaper than ready-made meals, but it is becoming more and more expensive. A weekly shop cost around £15 a week, more than a year ago.”

Domenico Crolla is the third generation of Crollas to run the Oro restaurant in Glasgow’s Shawlands.

He has been working there for 25 years and has never had to increase his prices as much as he has in the last five years.

“The more my costs rise, the more I have to pass that on to customers.”

“Companies that are afraid to raise their prices will – and are – going out of business.”

He says he used to increase prices every year or two and then only charge more for a few items. Now it’s twice a year.

And he knows that the customer’s burden is limited.

“You can only charge so much for a bowl of pasta. A carbonara was around £8 to £9, then it went up to £12, now it’s up to £17 for a carbonara.”

“It’s ridiculous – and we make less profit now than we did when it was £8.”

According to him, both governments burden the industry with “secret taxes” – money that is deducted at every step of the operation.

“If I have to pay employees more, they take additional taxes from them. If I pay the employees more, I have to charge the customer more, then more taxes and VAT go to the state – we are no better off than before.”

He would like to see the Scottish Government pass on the Barnett follow-on payments in the form of tax relief for small businesses in England, which ministers have not yet done.

“Anything they could do would help. Our business rates are increasing and have literally doubled in the last five years, to £30,000 to £40,000 a year.”

Elise Prentice, from Glasgow, who uses she and them as pronouns, works as a creative assistant at a sustainable textiles charity. They are also freelance artists. Their income depends on the hours and work they do each month, but averages around £10,000 a year.

They work between four and 12 hours a week at the charity, but said their job security depends on whether the charity receives enough funding in the new financial year.

Elise could be unemployed in May.

As a student, Elise had a better financial situation and lived independently than she does now, two degrees later.

Scottish students are eligible for loans during their studies and Elise says this made them feel like they had more money.

Elise said: “I got around £900 free and also worked part-time. I had so much disposable income and now I have none.”

“It’s good that the Scottish Government is supporting students while they study, but when you leave university you’re left out in the big bad world and there aren’t as many options.”

They had to move home after completing their master’s degree in clothing and textile history.

Elise says that as a creative worker, industry cuts mean there are fewer opportunities for success.

Wednesday’s budget announcement shows that cuts to creative funding must stop and more must be done to help creative workers.

“Trying to close the gap between the working class and the people who have the upper hand would be a huge help to me and others in the same boat.”

Farah is a retired academic (due to a hearing impairment). She works three days a week as a charity administrator to supplement her work pension.

The rest of the time, she works from home as a writer, which drives up her fuel bill.

“Even with a good income, fuel is a big problem,” she says. “On paper we are doing very well. In practice, we have been doing a little worse every year for about a decade.”

“Part of this is because there has been a steady trend among the Conservatives to shift costs onto individuals. Cuts to municipal services mean things like paying for waste disposal that would previously have been done by the municipality. They’re all little things, but they add up.”

After downsizing, their fuel and travel costs skyrocketed. She worries about younger people who are unable to live in the city and have to commute.

“Often the money saved on rent or mortgage by living in a cheaper area is offset by the cost of commuting.

“I would like to see a decisive redistribution of wealth from the wealthy – who, like us, are doing well – to the worse off and the poor.”

“I don’t mind paying 40% over £42,000, but someone earning six figures should pay more.”

She wants her tax dollars invested in local services, from roads to schools to hospitals.