Here are the latest British official estimates of the tax raised in each of the three ‘home’ nations and province to the end of the 2012/13 financial year.
These figures should not be treated as exact to the last million because there are difficulties in allocating revenue to particular parts of the UK, for example, with corporation tax, but they are broadly indicative of what each country collects in tax.
There are two sets of figures to show the differences when oil and gas is allocated on a geographical and a population basis.
Table 1 Total HMRC Receipts (Geographical Split of North Sea Revenues), £m 2012-13
UK England % Wales % Scotland % Northern Ireland %
469,777 400,659 85.3% 16,337 3.5% 42,415 9.0% 10,331 2.6%
Table 2 Total HMRC Receipts (Population Split of North Sea Revenues), £m
469,777 404,760 86.2% 16,652 3.5% 37,811 8.0% 10,518 2.6%
Compare this with public spending for each of three small home countries in the calendar year 2013 (ie Not including UK spending on Welfare, Pensions, Defence, Aid, Foreign Affairs etc):
Scotland £53.9 billion – deficit of £12 billion approx. between tax raised and money spent
Wales £29.8 billion – deficit of £13 billion approx. between tax raised and money spent
N. Ireland £19.8 billion – deficit of £9 billion approx. between tax raised and money spent
Wales £29.8 billion – deficit of £13 billion approx. between tax raised and money spent
N. Ireland £19.8 billion – deficit of £9 billion approx. between tax raised and money spent
So an identifiable £34 Billion a year subsidy from England to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and no contribution from them for any UK expenditure which therefore all comes from the pockets of English Taxpayers.
Better Together?
NB differences between tax raised and money spent are based on Table 1 figures which give the most favourable interpretation of Scotland’s tax position (£16.1 Billion for Table 2 Figures).