Scottish ‘Yes’ vote would see 6.4% budget deficit

Scotland would immediately have to contend with a budget deficit of 6.4% if it votes for independence, according to the London- based Centre for Economics and Business Research.

The country goes to the polls at the end of next week to vote on ending the 300-year-old union with the rest of the UK. The latest opinion polls show the ‘Yes’ vote has edged marginally ahead.

According to the research centre, Scotland’s share of UK public spending now appears to have been 9.6% in 2012/13 according to new data released by the Office for National Statistics at the end of July in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, whereas its share of the UK’s on-shore economy was only 8.0%.