Scottish spending on public services is £1,600 HIGHER per person than the UK average as Scotland spends £12.6 BILLION more than it generates in tax prompting critics to demand Nicola Sturgeon take action to fix her budget 'black hole'

Spending on public services in Scotland was more than £1,600 higher per person than the UK average last year, with the country still spending considerably more than it generates in tax revenue, new data has revealed.

Public sector spending stood at £13,854 per person in Scotland, some £1,661 higher than the rest of the UK.

The figures show that while Scotland's fiscal deficit fell for the third year in a row it was still spending £12.6 billion more than it received.

The statistics suggest Scotland now accounts for half of the UK’s entire deficit, despite having approximately 10 per cent of the population.

The spending 'black hole' has prompted calls for Nicola Sturgeon to ditch her Scottish independence plans and to get a grip of the public finances.

The Scottish First Minister has said she wants to hold a second independence referendum by 2021.

But her critics believe the figures released today show Scotland would struggle to maintain existing public expenditure if it was on its own, meaning there would likely have to be service cuts.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the independent Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (Gers) statistics 'show clearly how Scotland benefits from being part of a strong United Kingdom'.

He said every Scot received a 'Union dividend' of nearly £2,000 a year.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7379529/Scottish-spending-public-services-1-600-HIGHER-person-UK-average.html

Sounds like California's problem with the southern states.  WTF good are they to us?? Just a burden on our tax dollar.