Scotland’s extraordinary fiscal contribution to UK economy revealed and that’s before Oil and gas revenue!

Many thanks to Andrew for spotting this From The London Economic yesterday but largely ignored elsewhere: Scotland’s annual tax contributions to the UK have increased by £14.2 billion over the last decade, with income tax, capital gains tax and taxes on productions such as environmental levies driving this increased contribution. New analysis shows that the Scottish public sector generated an annual revenue of £73.3 billion during the last financial year, a 24 per cent increase versus a decade ago, equating to an increased contribution of £14.2 billion to the UK economy. As a result, Scotland now accounts for 8 per … Continue reading Scotland’s extraordinary fiscal contribution to UK economy revealed and that’s before Oil and gas revenue!

98% of Scottish lamb exports goes to EU and far less than the other 2%, well actually FA, goes to Oz

Talking-up Scotland costs nothing so donate to our friends at  https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/ or take out a subscription to the Scots Independent newspaper in which I have a column, at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product-category/subscriptions/ According to Politico, in June 2023: Prime Minister Boris Johnson personally apologized to his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison for Britain’s decision to join the EU almost 50 years earlier as he signed away greater access to Britain’s beef markets than had ever been conceived by his senior officials. https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-sold-out-uk-farmers-australia-trade-deal-uk/ On 14 March 2024, we hear from National World: Brexit: no British beef exported to Australia under UK’s first post-EU trade deal due to red … Continue reading 98% of Scottish lamb exports goes to EU and far less than the other 2%, well actually FA, goes to Oz

Should Scotland follow Ireland, Denmark, Portugal or Slovakia

By Alasdair Galloway Jill Stephenson, retired Prof of Modern German History at Edinburgh University, but for our purposes an indefatigable defender of the Union while equally contemptuous of Independence, has a letter in this morning’s Herald, which illustrates some important issues, not least the limitations of infantile Economics. I have to admit that I was concerned about Humza Yousaf’s use of Denmark, Finland and Ireland as comparators to illustrate Scotland’s potential if independent. The main point of contact between Scotland and these three countries seems to me to be population size, but beyond that comparisons become more difficult. For instance, … Continue reading Should Scotland follow Ireland, Denmark, Portugal or Slovakia