As part of the UK, Scotland enjoys a ‘Union Dividend’ of greater resources being made available to government in Scotland than the rest of the UK. The latest figures show that the Union Dividend was worth £7.9 billion last year – roughly equivalent to Scotland’s entire budget for education and training. The Union Dividend was used to keep both capital investment and spending on public services higher than in the rest of the UK, and also to keep taxes down.
Read our 'Union Dividend Briefing Note' in full by clicking here.