The United Kingdom is more valuable than ever to Scotland according to Scottish Conservative MSP Brian Whittle.
The South Scotland MSP was speaking following the publication of the latest “Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland” (GERS) report. This is an annual estimate, published by the Scottish Government, of the total amount of money raised in Scotland, how much the country pays for public services and the difference between those two figures.
This year’s figures showed that the gap between what Scotland spends and what it raises had grown by £2bn to £15.1bn. The statistics only cover up to the 5th of April this year so don’t include the full impact of the pandemic.
That £15bn translates into an extra £1941 for every single person in Scotland.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“These figures show, once again, how Scotland benefits from its place as part of the United Kingdom.
Of course, the value of the United Kingdom to Scotland isn’t just about money, but this is another example of how the sharing and pooling of resources between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, delivers more opportunities for us all.
Ahead of next year’s election, I want to have an open and honest debate about how we can better use the benefits of the Union in Scotland to strengthen our economy, improve our schools and invest in the future of our health service.”
