Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron has said that new Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) statistics have shown that independence would devastate public services in his region.
The Scottish Conservative MSP said that the statistics show that there is an “enormous gap” between what Scotland raises in tax and what it spends in public services, totalling nearly £2000 for every man, woman and child.
“The loss of the financial support from the rest of the UK would be devastating here in the Highlands and Islands because it costs more, per capita, to deliver public services in our region than elsewhere in Scotland."
“We know to our cost that the SNP prioritises the Central Belt when it comes to spending, and if we were embroiled in reducing our deficit, as we would be if Scotland was independent and applying to rejoin the EU, then the knock-on effects would be devastating here. According to the SNP Government’s own figures, an independent Scotland would have the largest deficit in the EU and would break EU member state rules."
“Nicola Sturgeon needs to rejoin the real world and take IndyRef2 off the table once and for all.”
The facts:
Public spending per person in Scotland is £1661 greater than the UK average.
Public spending per person in Scotland is £13,854, compared to the average of £12193 in the UK as a whole, meaning that spending is £1661 greater in Scotland than in the UK, the highest it has ever been. This is an increase of £91 spending per person compared to 2017-18. (Scottish Government, Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland, 21 August 2019, link).
Revenue per person in Scotland is £307 lower than the UK average.
Revenue per person in Scotland is £11,531 compared to £11,838 in the UK as a whole. (Scottish Government, Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland, 21 August 2019, link)
Scotland’s deficit is six times the size of the UK’s. An independent Scotland would have the largest deficit in the EU and would break EU member state rules.
Scotland’s total net fiscal deficit was £12.6 billion, 7.0% of GDP, while across the UK as a whole it was 1.1%. Cyprus’ net fiscal deficit, the highest for any EU member state, was 4.8% in 2018. EU member states are required to have a budget deficit of below 3%. (Eurostat, Government Deficit and Debt, 15 July 2019, link) (Scottish Government, Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland, 21 August 2019, link)