Scottish spending

The Treasury expenditure figures quoted (your report, 31 August) should be seen in the context that although Scotland gets 9.3 per cent of identifiable expenditure it contributes a higher 9.4 per cent of UK taxes and, for example, there is a massive under-spend of £1 billion a year share of defence expenditure.

Also government expenditure in London is much more per head than in Scotland in respect of transport, education, health, housing and on massive government bureaucracy which creates hundreds of thousands of well paid jobs.

Such Treasury figures never take into account Scottish income such as corporation tax and VAT paid by English-registered companies from their Scottish operations or income tax and national insurance paid by workers in Scotland whose payroll office is located in England.

Latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland figures show Scotland in surplus for the last four years and in a better financial position than the Westminster government, which has run up massive debts, £500bn, of which was before the current recession.

Janice Thompson

Walter Scott Avenue

Edinburgh