Scottish deficit grows

摘要

In a blow to Scottish separatists, Scotland's national deficit widened to 8.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) last year according to official figures. The deficit, the difference between total revenue and total public spending, was £15.1bn in 2019/20 for Scotland while for the UK as a whole it was 2.5%. Scotland's revenue is £308 per head less than the UK average while its public spending is £ 1,633 per head more than the UK average. For most social care costs, expenditure per head is higher in Scotland than the rest of Great Britain, such as for the carer's, attendance and disability allowances. Council tax in Scotland brought in £2.5bn last year, an increase of £500m in the past four years. The current budget balance between total revenue and current spending excluding capital spend was a deficit of 6.8% of GDP or £11.9bn while for the UK the deficit was 0.4% of GDP.