Deficitdebate

Jill Stephenson, in her comments on Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures (Letters, 25 March), makes the mistake of assuming that any Scottish financial deficit while we are in the Union will be the same as in an independent Scotland. It won’t, and here are a few reasons.

The Scottish taxpayer is currently paying billions for interest on the £1.9 trillion national debt which we had no part in creating.

Major retail outlets like Marks and Spencer or Tesco declare all their taxable profits in England, so Scottish branches make no tax contribution to our economy.

Scottish exports, which are shipped via container ports in England (including most of the whisky), are measured as English exports.

Scottish taxpayers are currently contributing to various major infrastructure projects in England which will be of little or no use to Scotland. For example, the new London sewer system, the London Underground extensions, and the new High Speed Rail, which terminates at Leeds. All of those multi-billion pound projects are classed as national infrastructure projects, so the whole UK contributes.

In contrast, the Queensferry Crossing bridge is not classed as national infrastructure and has to be paid in full by the Scottish Government.

The billions spent on Trident will no longer fall on the Scot- tish taxpayer, and all oil revenues will accrue to Scotland.

The current deficit is meaningless in the context of independence.

JAMES DUNCAN

Rattray Grove, Edinburgh