Over half of people in Scotland would support an income tax rise to fund public services but not to pay for increased benefits and tax credits, a poll has found.

A YouGov poll for The Times found 52% in favour of a tax rise for services, but just 30% backing a tax rise for benefits once Scotland gains control of income tax in 2017.

Finance Secretary John Swinney pledged to outline his tax plans in the coming months as part of a debate about the impact of Tory cuts to tax credits.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has pledged to fast track devolution of income tax to force the SNP to reveal its tax-and-spend plans ahead of the Holyrood election.

The Scottish Government will also have the power to top up tax credits and benefits, but such a move would be unpopular with most people in Scotland, the poll found.

Nearly three-fifths (57%) of Scots would oppose raising taxes to top up benefits, with more SNP supporters against it (47%) than for it (42%).

A tax hike for benefits is also slightly more unpopular among Yes voters with 44% against and 43% for, while Yes voters would overwhelmingly support (67%) a tax hike for services than oppose it (22%).

Overall support for Scottish independence remains steady at 48% for separation - up three points on the referendum result - and 52% backing the union.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has pledged that she would never raise income tax above the UK level, a popular move among Tory voters who oppose both income tax rises for services (65%) and especially for benefits (88%).

Tory voters would support a cut in benefits to cut taxes (58%) but not to cut services (25%).

Looking ahead to the Holyrood election, 51% said they would back the SNP in the constituency vote and 45% in the regional vote, the same proportion in a previous YouGov/Times poll last month.

Labour has dropped one point in the constituency vote, to 21%, and remains at 20% on the list.

The Tories are up one on each vote to 19% on both.

The Lib Dems are also up one point on each at 5%.

The SNP also remains the most trusted party, with 45% saying they would trust the party to tell the truth, against 25% who trust Labour, 21% who trust the Conservatives and 17% who trust the Lib Dems.

Over two-thirds (67%) of those polled said Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem MP facing legal action for lying during the general election campaign, should resign as an MP.

Almost as many (59%) think Michelle Thomson, the suspended SNP MP linked to property deals that saw her solicitor struck off, should resign as an MP.

YouGov polled 1,026 Scottish adults between October 9 and 13.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland that the way to "overcome austerity is by investing in the infrastructure and the capability of the country".

He insisted it was "perfectly possible to have sustainable public finances but also preside over an extra £150 billion worth of investment in the fabric of our country over the course of the next four to five years".

Mr Swinney said: "What we will find in the next few months is the effect of the changes that are going to be made to tax credits will become very very apparent to many householders in Scotland.

"That will be part of the debate that surrounds the choices that are available to us in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections.

"We will set out to people in advance of those elections exactly what stance we will take on the utilisation of the tax varying powers we will acquire."

He stressed that the SNP "believe in progressive taxation" and said: "We're already very focused on ensuring we improve the incomes and the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable in our society, which is why we're so concerned about the tax credit situation advanced by the UK government."

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: "Scottish Labour wants to ask those who have the most to pay a little bit more so we can close the gap between the richest and the rest in our schools.

"We would increase the top rate of tax to 50p for those with a wage of more than £150,000 a year and invest this money in our classrooms.

"It's clear from this poll that the people of Scotland support our plan and oppose the SNP's decision to repeatedly vote against Labour's plans to use fair taxes to invest in our schools.

"At the heart of the Michelle Thomson case are vulnerable people who were taken advantage of.

"It's no wonder so many Scots think her behaviour isn't acceptable for a public servant."