Reading Time: 4 minutesAs with all guest blogs, what follows are the views of the author, Jennifer Wallace, Head of Policy at the Carnegie UK Trust, and not those
Category: Economy & Finance
Minimum pricing for alcohol – a frequently asked question
Reading Time: 2 minutesTomorrow the Health and Sport Committee is due to consider the secondary legislation which will bring minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol into effect. This
What do the latest statistics on economic growth tell us? (Q4 2017)
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe latest figures on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Scotland, for 4th quarter 2017, were published today by the Scottish Government. They show that the
Scottish Income Tax: how different is it to the rest of the UK?
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Financial Scrutiny Unit (FSU) is often asked what the difference is between income tax in Scotland and in the rest of the UK, especially
Guest blog – Data is everywhere
Reading Time: 4 minutesAs with all guest blogs on SPICe Spotlight, what follows are the views of the author, Brian Hills, Head of Data at The Data Lab
Apples and oranges? Why it’s difficult to compare Scottish and English local government funding
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Financial Scrutiny Unit is often asked to make Scotland vs England comparisons on various financial measures. When it comes to local government, comparing the
Financial Transactions: ‘real’ money?
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn recent years, the Scottish Government has received substantial sums from the UK Government known as ‘Financial Transactions’ (FTs). To date, the Scottish Government has
Budget 2018-19 – final allocations to local authorities
Reading Time: 4 minutesAt the beginning of February I shared an update to the local government finance settlement at Stage 1 of the Budget Bill 2018-19. The figures
Gross Value Added (GVA) and Scotland’s sectors
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat is GVA? Gross Value Added (GVA) is a key indicator of the state of the whole economy, an important performance measure, and helps inform
Budget Bill Stage 3 – the final parliamentary hurdle
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Budget for financial year 2018-19 passed its final parliamentary hurdles on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The ‘Rate Resolution’ debate and vote on