Higher Public Spending for People in Scotland

The Scottish Government’s Government Expenditure and Revenue (GERS) figures for 2024-25 show that people in Scotland benefit by £2,669 more per head of additional spending compared to the UK average, as a result of the redistribution of wealth throughout the UK, and the impact of our Plan for Change. This is an increase of £358 on the previous year [£2,311 in 2023-24].

In 2024-25, £91.4 billion in tax receipts was raised in Scotland through devolved and reserved taxation, compared to £117.6 billion in public spending for Scotland. That works out to 8.0 per cent of UK revenue and 9.1 per cent of spending.

The figures also reveal that the ‘notional deficit’, or net fiscal balance, in Scotland grew to around £26.5 billion, or 11.7 per cent of GDP, more than double the UK deficit of 5.1 per