Scotland’s economy could cruise faster without Westminster’s rusty anchor
by It turns out that despite all the gloomy doom-mongering from unionist opposition parties, Scotland’s economy isn’t just treading water – it’s ahead of nearly every other nation and English region in the UK.
Fresh analysis from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), based on official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), reveals that Scotland generates the highest level of corporation tax per head anywhere in the UK outside of London.
That’s right: businesses operating in Scotland contribute an average of £1,405 for every single person in the country. That isn’t just comfortably ahead of the English average excluding London (£1,017); it’s even £105 per head higher than South East England (£1,300)!
Not too shabby for a nation that opposition politicians constantly claim is economically ‘stuck in the mud’.
For years, Tory, Labour, and LibDem politicians have treated the Scottish economy like a rusty old lawnmower that supposedly won’t start, routinely firing off social media rants accusing the SNP of ‘holding back growth’.
The Scottish Conservatives frequently take to social media claiming that “Scotland’s economy has been stuck for too long under the SNP” – a narrative that looks rather silly when Scotland is out-performing every single English region on corporate profitability and tax receipts.
Scottish Labour regularly posts about Scottish economic growth being at a standstill thanks to the SNP, conveniently ignoring the fact that Scottish businesses are generating more corporate revenue per person than Labour-led or Tory-led areas across the rest of the UK.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats love to tweet warnings that the Scottish economy is “stagnant” under the SNP, presumably because they think staying within Westminster’s tepid used bathwater is the better option.
These opposition attacks are like a choir singing completely out of tune with the actual evidence.
Despite having one hand tied behind its back by Westminster’s restrictive economic framework and imposition of austerity and Brexit, Scotland’s economy under an SNP government has proven remarkably resilient and dynamic.
If Scotland can outperform the vast majority of the UK while locked inside its failing economic straightjacket, just imagine what could happen if we actually had the keys!
SNP MSP Patricia Gibson highlighted that these tax receipts demonstrate the sheer strength of Scottish enterprise and the value of having a government in Edinburgh that actually supports public services and investment. Making not only the business environment attractive but the society around it.
When decisions are made in Scotland, policies are tailored to Scotland’s specific strengths – our world-class renewable energy sector, cutting-edge technology, food and drink, and vibrant research universities.
To see what happens when decisions aren’t made in Scotland, one only needs to take a glance back at the 1980s.
Back then, before even devolution existed, power was concentrated entirely in Westminster.
The result?
Industrial heartlands were dismantled overnight, steelworks and shipyards were shuttered without a second thought, and Scotland suffered brutal, rapid deindustrialisation dictated by a Tory government in London that Scots didn’t even vote for.
Fast forward to today and Holyrood’s limited powers have, at least, allowed Scotland to shield itself from the worst excesses of Westminster mismanagement, creating an environment where businesses can thrive and reinvest.
While generating £1,405 per head in corporation tax is a massive vote of confidence in Scottish enterprise, the tax revenue itself currently flows straight into the UK Treasury’s giant pocket in London.
With the full powers of independence, Scotland wouldn’t just collect these revenues, we would have complete control over corporation tax, economic regulation, trade policy, and immigration.
Instead of being dragged down by Westminster’s post-Brexit trade barriers and sluggish growth, an independent Scotland could:
- Rejoin the European Union and reopen frictionless trade with a market of 450 million people
- Take full control of our vast energy resources and utilise our North Sea and massive offshore wind potential to power industries at home and export green energy abroad
- Tailor tax and investment incentives to turn Scotland into an international magnet for high-value enterprise
As Patricia Gibson put it, independence offers a fresh start to “unleash an economy that would be the envy of Europe.”
The data is clear – when Scotland makes its own choices, it wins. Now it’s time to take the training wheels off the bike and let the Scottish economy sprint ahead!