The important truth to an Independent Scotland. VOTE NO !! 1. An independent Scotland would be financially better off. The most recent available statistics show Scotland received 9.3% of UK spending to run our services (for 8.3% of the population) but generated 9.1% of UK taxes. In 2012/13, Scotland’s finances were weaker than the UK’s as a whole by £468 per person. 2. We will keep the pound (£). You can’t leave a country and keep its currency. A currency union has been ruled out and the nationalists have no Plan B. 3. The Bank of England would still be our central bank and our lender of last resort. Even if the UK agrees to guarantee an independent country’s debts, this would mean Scotland would be part of the UK’s economy with no say in the UK’s decision making, how is this better for the people of Scotland? Do we want a separate country setting our interest rates? 4. We will remain a member of the EU on the same terms as the UK. Leaving the UK means Scotland would have to reapply to be in the EU. The average time it has taken to do this since 1995 is 9 years. Experts have said 2019 is the earliest accession date. A yes vote also means the end of the UK’s rebate which means being in the EU would cost every Scottish household about £900 more. 5. The UK is the 4th most unequal country in the world. This is not true.The SNP conveniently ignore that the paper they rely on also says that public services in the UK reduce inequality more than almost anyone else, and this impact has increased over the 2000s under Labour Governments in Westminster and Holyrood. 6. An independent Scotland will reduce corporation tax by 3% to create 27,000 jobs. The reality is that this tax cut to businesses would cost Scotland £385 million in revenue. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Winning Economist and member of the First Minister’s Council of Economic Advisors, rejected the idea that lowering corporation tax would lead to greater investment saying: “Some of you have been told that lowering tax rates on corporations will lead to more investment. The fact is that’s not true. It is just a gift to corporations increasing inequality in our society”. 7. We will have all the same welfare benefits that we have now; Scots are financially better off remaining part of the UK. Benefit spending per person is higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK. We spend over 20% more on disability benefits. An independent report published last year also said that if Scotland gained control over welfare benefits and pensions then it would need to raise its taxes. 8. Pensions would be better protected in an independent Scotland; Scotland has proportionately more pensioners than the rest of the UK. Last year Professor David Bell estimated that the number of pensioners in Scotland is set to increase by 80% between 2010 and 2060. The demographic challenge that Scotland faces is best met as part of the UK because it has more pensioners and its population is ageing faster. A no vote safeguards our pension benefits. 9. We will continue to trade freely with the rest of the UK; The CBI and supermarkets have told us that independence would push up costs for consumers. We believe them over the Party who would do and say anything to get independence.The reality is that separation would cost our businesses 11 times more than their competitors in England if we do not share a currency. It would cost everycompany in Scotland £1,229 compared to only £109 per business in the rest of the UK. The UK is Scotland’s biggest trading partner; it accounts for over two thirds of all of Scotland’s exports. Sharing an economy supports and strengthens this trading relationship. Separation would put it at risk. 10. We can continue to charge students from the rest of UK tuition fees. The experts say that this would be discriminatory and therefore illegal. Removing tuition fees for rest of UK students would cost Scottish universities at least £100 million a year, who would fund this? 11. Starting up an independent Scotland would cost “about £250 million”. John Swinney has previously told Cabinet colleagues it would cost more than £600 million to set up a separate tax system – these numbers clearly don’t add up. The UK Treasury has published analysis which warns that becoming independent could cost Scotland over £1.5bn. Unsurprisingly, the SNP has refused to breakdown their estimate. 12. Our oil fund will secure Scotland’s wealth for the future. Even including our oil revenues, an independent Scotland would still be in debt. How can a country in debt save money for the future? Do the SNP propose to raise taxes or increase our debt to pay for this? 13. People employed in Scotland by companies based in the rest of the UK will not be affected. The reality is that we know a number of companies are considering relocating their headquarters if Scotland becomes independent. This would impact on jobs. The best way to safeguard Scottish jobs with companies based primarily in the rest of the UK is to vote no. 14. Interest rates would still be set by Bank of England so would remain the same. Newly independent countries, with no credit history, face higher interest rates. Sharing risk across a larger economy helps to keep interest rates low. 15.We will get rid of Trident and make Scotland a nuclear weapon free zone; The reality is that removing Trident could take up to 25 years, would result in thousands of job cuts and be an astronomical cost. 16. We will share an electricity and gas market with the UK. This would have to be agreed with the rest of the UK. The SNP can’t leave the UK but pick and choose what they would like to keep as an independent country. 17. We will share embassies with the UK in countries where Scotland does not have one. Why would it be in the rest of the UK’s interests to bear the costs of this? The SNP can’t leave the UK and choose what benefits of being part of the union they want to keep. 18. All cross-border medical services will remain, including use of rest of UK organs for organ donation. Scotland currently benefits from a reciprocal arrangement because we are part of the UK. By wanting provision of these health services to remain the same, the SNP are highlighting one of the many benefits of being part of the UK. Separation means uncertainty because these current arrangements would have to be re-negotiated. 19. We will provide childcare for every child aged 1 to school age. We are still waiting for the SNP to deliver on the last promise they made about childcare back in 2007. The SNP is still to say how much this would cost. The reality is, even if every mother with children in this age group in Scotland used this childcare to return to work, they would still need 40,000 more mothers to pay for this policy. 20. We will get the Government we choose. A lot of people in Scotland did not vote for the SNP but are now faced with 7 years of SNP Government. Labour wants to work with those in the rest of the UK that share our values to oust the current government at the next election; not make it easier for the Conservatives to be re-elected.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 22:53:41 +0000
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