Scotland pays same share of revenue as England to confirm viability as an independent nation

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Professor John Robertson OBA

Here is how the IFS presented the data in a report titled Scotland relies increasingly on fiscal transfers – like other regions outside South East England, published two days ago:

Revenues per person as a share of UK revenues per person

Note: Oil and gas revenues allocated on a population basis.*
Source: Office for National Statistics Country and Regional Public Sector Finances, UK: Financial Year Ending 2023. 

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scotland-relies-increasingly-fiscal-transfers-other-regions-outside-south-east-england

Last week, the Scottish Government published its latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland
 (GERS) report for 2024–25. It estimates total government revenue raised in Scotland, total public spending benefiting Scotland (including a per-capita share of UK-wide spending on things such as debt interest, defence and foreign aid), and the gap between them. This gap – Scotland’s net fiscal balance – represents the borrowing the UK government undertakes on Scotland’s behalf.

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/scotland-relies-increasingly-fiscal-transfers-other-regions-outside-south-east-england

The IFS does not, of course, tell you that, after decades of an export/import surplus, unique in the UK, Scotland would not have any debt nor, of course, any debt interest payments.

Scotland is and has for centuries helped England to pay the interest on its massive debt, run-up to pay for wars and other imperial costs, vanity projects in the south, the royal family and, most of all, to pay for the massive food imports it needs to survive, every day.

Leaving all of that aside for the moment, I couldn’t help but note that Scotland raises far more revenue per head of population than Wales or Northern Ireland and that, to make sure we all see how valuable London and the south are, the figures for England are broken down. Why, we ask is there no breakdown in Scotland to reveal, I feel sure, comparably productive parts?

Most of all, I wonder why do we not see in the table the average for England to compare with the other 3 nations and the UK 100%? You see the answer in the first table above and the obvious message in my headline.

Finally, what does:

Oil and gas revenues allocated on a population basis.

mean?

Only 8% of the oil and gas income is allocated to Scotland even though we generate 90% of it? Surely not.

10 thoughts on “Scotland pays same share of revenue as England to confirm viability as an independent nation”

  1. Considering that the UK economy has for decades been run to suit London/South East then Scotland has acquitted itself well . Imagine how much better it would prosper if decisions made by Government were for Scotland’s benefit .

    Bring it on !

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    1. In the eyes of the English, England’s debt is Scotland’s debt.

      ‘UK economy’? Hmm, well there are regions in England that I’m sure could claim to have contributed far more than they have been able to benefit from, but this is about the country of Scotland being robbed by the English for centuries, that’s the long and short of it, all said and done.

      The English knew that the oil in the North Scottish Sea was going to be massive way before it was extracted when the US companies got their drity hands on the contracts and loads of the cash. The BritEng state did a fantastic job of conning the Scottish people they were too poor and pathetic and drunk and drugged up (drugs deliberaely imported from er England) to function without hand-outs from England.

      ‘Decisions made by Government’? Which one and where? It’s true that only a Scottish ‘government’ in Scotland, with full fiscal control etc will allow Scotland to ‘prosper’.

      Massive progress has already been made by the SNP in a few short years, against huge odds and EngUKGov constraints, and after decades, centuries even, of being held back and kept poor by the coloniser.

      That’s why the BritNat media in Scotland and indeed in England, are deployed to lie and propagandise because the EngBrit state wants rid of the SNP in order to keep robbing Scotland of their resources and revenues, and they will deploy all kinds of dirty tactics between now and next May to do just that.

      Hence we need blogs like this and to help fund it, and share on every damn platform available.

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  2. “Only 8% of the oil and gas income is allocated to Scotland even though we generate 90% of it? Surely not.”
    That’s the only correct explantation, surprised they actually put that in, usually covered up anywhere else.

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  3. If I remember correctly, having lived alongside and traded in Europe for centuries, Scotland did not have a national debt in 1707, but had to pay a proportion towards the English national debt run up over hundreds of years of its wars in Europe. (As peace decended England needed trade routes into Europe so Scotland’s were perfect… yeh, the same ones they just tossed away against our will in Brexit) So, when it comes to sharing national debt… it could be said we have paid up front. It could also be said that as Scotland cannot borrow, its share of any ‘national’ debt could be seen as ‘odious’. However, it is likely Scotland will pay its share.

    If I also remember rightly, the “Equivalent” was never paid to Scotland in full. ‘Oh, yeh, that. Och, it’ll be fine, it’ll all balance out.”

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    1. To nobody. UK has a Fiat currency and UK Gov creates money to spend into the economy. To avoid inflation it taxes that back. Unfortunately governments from Thatcher onwards have wrongly used the household spending and need to balance books script to serve their elites/donors interests. Only devolved governments and local authorities have to balance their books. That’s why they refer to Public Sector borrowing requirements at budget time.
      Scotland will thrive when we get out of this Union, but only if we establish our own currency properly.

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  6. There was also a great wee letter in a newspaper……on the “great electricity divide”…..where the person who wrote the letter highlighted the fact that:

    “Scotland exported 5 billion pounds worth of electricity to England last year”………”for nothing” !

    And that “this roughly equates to £1000 per Scottish citizen”.

    He continued by stating that….

    “Scotland produces this excess yet we pay the highest standing charges (as in) 50% more than Londoners”……..”So our electricity bills are the highest in the UK”.

    Then he stated “On top of that , we in Scotland have to pay to connect to the National Grid whilst in the South of England energy producers are paid to connect to the National grid”

    He then asked “How long are we going to put up with this” ?

    Well good question, but it seems the answer is …..we will have to put up with it, as a situation, for a long time….as Ed Miliband, the Labour Energy Minister , recently rejected the idea of Zonal pricing as that would have meant Scotland would have got cheaper energy bills than certain parts of England (and that’s a big NO NO in their UK /England ).

    Also that’s the same Scotland that produces an excess of electricity that then supplies that excess electricity to England…for them, as a Nation, to benefit from the power that our country generates/produces………… that then also allows them to benefit from electricity being cheaper for parts of England than for the whole of Scotland …..

    Yet we have a media, politicians and also others , who for years, have all been telling us , as Scots, that in all aspects of the UK we, within Scotland, are subsidised by the UK…..as in the same UK that we are a part of….so where is the logic in that ?

    How can we be a part of a UK State , where our country’s citizens contributes money and also our country contributes (plundered by UK governments) it’s precious resources to that UK State and yet be told that the UK State (we are a part of) needs to subsidise us in Scotland more than elsewhere.

    (Though Rachel Reeves also recently told Wales that they too get subsidised by the UK State…..she would tell NI that too….but never ever would she tell England that they too fall into that subsidised category….because what she and others really mean…..is that Scotland, Wales and NI are all being subsidised by her England).

    Of course we also have Nigel Farage from Reform UK…guess what he has said on devolution and money linked to Scotland ……..

    In June 2025 The Torygraph reported he said “Slash handouts to Scotland”

    Also in June 2025 The ‘Scottish’ Sun reported “Nigel Farage U turns on plans to scrap all MSP’s and put Scottish MP’s in Holyrood instead” (as he wanted a watered down Scottish parliament).

    Also in June 2025 The National reported ” Nigel Farage would cut the Barnett Formula”.

    However here is what the BBC reported that Nigel Farage said on the day after the Scottish Referendum , as on the 19 September 2014….when he Farage was leader of another fake party…UKIP

    “Time to stop Scots tail wagging the dog”

    “Nigel Farage has said the time has come for an English Parliament, to give the country a “proper voice” in the UK”.

    “The leader of the UK Independence Party told the BBC: “We’ve had a lot from Scotland but the tail cannot go on wagging the dog any longer.”

    “Mr Farage maintained that English taxpayers should not be bound by promises made by the three main party leaders during the referendum campaign”.

    “Mr Farage said: “I think England needs a voice – we’ve heard a lot from Scotland. The tail can’t continue wagging the dog any longer“

    So spoken like a true English Nationalist (that he, Farage, truly is)….though come next year you will not hear Farage utter any of these same sentiments in the run up to the Scottish elections…..nope…instead he will himself make “promises” to us in Scotland which, just like the “three main parties” in 2014, he too will not want to keep any of the promises that he (falsely) makes”……..as he also see Scotland as being “Subsidy Junkies”…..with England apparently subsidising us (and Wales & NI too).

    Also this Idiot Farage in seeking an English parliament knows only too well that WM is the home of an English parliament already (that then “allows” MP’s from other Nations within the UK a minor representation within it…compared to England’s majority representation)….as it houses a majority of English constituency MP’s and also the actual so called UK government has a remit that decides policy and direction for England as well as those decisions they get to make for the whole UK (via Reserved powers)………

    Of course here’s the bad news for Scotland…well for us on here and others like us….

    Last week in a Council election….Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor (East Renfrewshire) by-election, first prefs:

    Labour: 1901 (41.9%, +21.7)

    SNP: 1142 (25.1%, -8.3)

    Reform: 1018 (22.4%, new)

    Then …..

    Labour won that by-election….yep…amazing….when one considers how bad they are…..but just look at how well Reform UK did…..or the new Tories as they should be called….as most of their party consists of Tories who have defected to them…..

    Honestly ….sometimes you do think what is the ******* point ….but then you remember……the media here fail to promote the real baddies in Politics and instead they, as a media, only target , in a negative way, the SNP….while protecting Labour (and also protecting and platforming shysters like Reform UK).

    Also do these people in Scotland who are still voting FOR Labour and other UK parties not still recall how they were told in 2014 that Oil was running out and so ………….Scotland as an independent nation could not rely upon Oil as a financial benefit for it’s economy….yet now….. all of these same UK parties are stating that the UK will still “need to use Oil for decades to come” ….in other words they all lied to us in 2014….in order to con us into voting NO to Scottish independence !

    (Also are they , as voters in Scotland, oblivious to the fact that Farage is an English Nationalist who is determined that in the future Scotland will get the square root of **** all …that is if he, Farage, gets any real power…like in the 2029 UK GE).

    FFS….wake up or Scotland or we will indeed soon be #Sh**e…..as in 2029 Farage will make sure of that….and both Labour & the Tories will have paved the way for that happening to us and our country ! ( as they, as UK governments, have already begun the destruction of our country (Scotland) with their exploitation and plundering of our precious resources for their country (England)…as they too, as political parties, represent English Nationalism).

    Liz S

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    1. Can I also say that…..the UK State is not a registered Charity….with England being the benefactor and Scotland , Wales & NI as those other Nations who are the supposed beneficiaries of that supposed UK State (English) Charity…..

      However that is how they , English political parties as English governments wants us, the other nations within their UK State, to see it as being as a supposed fact…..it’s NOT …….but then who via the UK State media etc is on the side of our Nations (Scotland , Wales & NI) compared to how they represent and support England more as a Nation within their UK State.

      Liz S

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