Welsh Conservatives have called on Labour ministers to publish an equivalent of Scotland’s Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) document.
The National Statistics publication estimates the revenue raised in Scotland and the goods and services provided for the benefit of Scotland.
Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) addresses three questions about Scotland’s public sector finances under the current constitutional arrangements:
- What revenues were raised in Scotland;
- How much did the country pay for the public services that were consumed;
- To what extent did the revenues raised cover the costs of these public services.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Finance, Peter Fox MS said:
“Scotland’s long-running GERS report enhances public understanding of fiscal issues through detailed analysis of official UK and Scottish Government accounts.
“We all want transparent governance in Cardiff Bay, especially given the tax-raising powers of the Welsh Government. With that added power, must come extra scrutiny and responsibility.
“It would be very concerning if the Welsh Labour Government hid from this kind of transparency and accountability in general but, as a supposedly unionist party, surely Labour would welcome a report that would inevitably demonstrate the financial virtues of the United Kingdom.
“As we emerge from the pandemic with an eye fixed on how we pay for recovery, it is only right for the ministers to publish a similar report so that we can truly see the fiscal position of Wales – for better or worse.”
ENDS/
Editors’ notes:
Link to GERS 2020-2021 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/government-expenditure-revenue-scotland-2020-21/
