Is Scotland a financial drain on England?

[tonywiltshire]

Does anyone know the amount Scotland contributes to the Treasury with Oil revenues and other contributions and what it receives under the Barnett formula? Is Scotland a financial drain on England?

[ladybirder]

A recent independent report by a group of academics which I heard being discussed on Radio 4 concluded that it was pretty much even. Nevertheless this will continue to be argued about until kingdom come. It's been done on here before.

[Old_Geezer]

Whilst citizens in one area of the UK get more spent on them than on citizens in other areas, the discussion will continue.

[anotheoldgit]

Why just pick on Scotland, most of Europe is, and that is before we pick on some other culprits around the world.

[Kayless]

Yes, Scotland Get 130% of what the rest of the UK get per head. Oil is irrelevant they do not own the North Sea.

[Romaz]

No - England is a financial drain on Scotland. A report from 1974 stated that an independent Scotland, with the control of most of the UK North Sea oil revenue (90%) would have large tax surpluses, and it could be argued that it would be to Scotlands economic advantage to repeal the Act of Union.

Because there are two systems of Law, it has already been agreed that anything to the north of latitude 55 degrees North as coming under the jurisdiction of Scots Law.

[Romaz]

The latest contribution figures I could find state that Scotland received £54 Billion in 2008/2009 and paid in £43.5 Billion. However that was not counting Oil revenue of £11.7 billion, which means that £11.3 billion more was paid in than taken out.

[Romaz]

Apologies - £1.3 Billion more paid in, not £11.3 Billion

[jake-the-peg]

I think someone should compile a county map to show which counties take out more than they put in.

We could do a town map

Or a street map.

Then what?

[mightyWBA]

I'd suggest pointless conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are more of a drain on th UK economy than any particular area of it.
Jake is right..Why pick on the Scots?
We have plenty of large towns and cities that cost more than they contribute.

[tonywiltshire]

Towns and Streets are not countries in there own right with there own set of Laws.

[rov1100]

No mention is made of the gas fields in the English sector. Once gas was a cheap commodity but now is on a par with oil.

[Old_Geezer]

What is taken and contributed is less important than all citizens being treated equally within the Union. Although granted, trying to maximum wealth generation from everywhere is a noble aim.

[mightyWBA]

What about Wales?..All those bi lingual roadsigns don't come cheap.
Especially with the price of steel these days.

[jake-the-peg]

They have their own councils with their own elected officials setting their own council taxes and business rates.

I think you can just as easily ask is Manchester a drain is Turo a drain

[emmie]

Mightybwa surprised those signs haven't been snaffled for scrap,
as to this debate, it's as old as the hills, and won't be resolved here, this generates quite a lot of heat, otherwise known as hot air though.

[tonywiltshire]

JTP, Manchester and Truro are both in England, Scotland is Scotland.
EM, Nothing will probably be resolved here but does not stop you from having an opinion.

[emmie]

TW annexe Scotland, get a great big hacksaw, not sure where the line should go, Berwick on Tweed perhaps, then separate totally, Scotland, England we have been a bit like conjoined twins, but having had successful surgery each has nothing to complain of the other. Separate tax, NI, VAT, schools, hospitals, no Scottish people to come here, and so English people won't go there, not sure what we do with Wales, well big hacksaw,
tongue in cheek perhaps but there you go, and if Rich 47 is looking in, me old mate how ye ken.

[Kayless]

It's like arguing over which bit of the Titanic deck you own! In reality none of us are autonomous, we are all governed by unelected Eurocrats anyway.

[Quizmonster]

A point worth noting, though not directly relevant to this question, is that - if Scotland do go for independence in a few years' time - England will have ZERO "share" of the North Atlantic, as her shorelines are not contiguous with it. That is a potentially vastly richer source of oil than the North Sea and BP recently dedicated several billions of pounds to development there.

[Kayless]

surely the Atlantic is mostly international waters QM. We have the Falkland anyway.