Scotland’s public spending deficit has hit a record of nearly £2,200 a head, despite a massive increase in tax revenues driven by the global surge in oil prices.
The annual public spending estimates, which cover all the taxes and spending by the devolved and UK governments in Scotland, found Scotland raised £73.8bn in taxes last year, including income from North Sea oil, and spent £97.5bn.
The Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report calculated a per-person deficit of £2,184 for the 2021-22 financial year, the highest yet recorded. This compared with £1,925 in the previous year and £2,091 in 2019-20.