The SNP’s new leader is being regarded wth the affection usually reserved for royalty. Yet serious questions are being asked about the party’s fiscal policies
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today refused to rule out another referendum on Scottish independence during the lifetime of the next Scottish parliament, but insisted that it would only happen if the...
A leading independent economist has warned MSPs that the fiscal reforms proposed by the Smith Commission on further devolution will be unworkable without major parallel changes at UK level to a more...
Council leaders across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have come together to urge whichever party wins the general election to set out a plan to devolve power across the country in the...
Scotland’s public finances are set to remain in deficit until the end of the decade, meaning ‘full fiscal autonomy’ for Holyrood could lead to additional tax rises or spending cuts...
David Cameron has today pledged that a Conservative government elected next month would conduct an annual review of Scottish Government policies to ensure no area of the UK loses out as a result of...
The Scottish government’s newly devolved fiscal powers expose it to a whole ‘new world’ of risk and responsibility, Scotland’s auditor general has warned ministers.
Scotland’s first new national taxes since 1707 came into force today as the Scottish Government’s Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, a replacement for UK Stamp Duty, and a new Landfill...
Scotland’s public bodies should be proactive in seeking to review and renegotiate Public Finance Initiative deals that no longer meet changed market conditions or public needs, top PFI...
Scotland’s broad-based commission on a replacement for the council tax is highly unlikely to arrive at a consensus, Local Government Minister Marco Biagi admitted in a speech today to the CIPFA...
The independence referendum has reframed the way Scots approach elections, and looks likely to deliver sweeping gains for the Scottish National Party at the May 7 general election, top political...
Holyrood will insist on a fair fiscal framework to reconcile Scotland’s new tax powers with its block grant as part of the implementation of proposals on further devolution, Deputy First Minister...
Public finance professionals should be at the forefront of public service reform in a Scotland likely to remain dominated by Left-wing politicians with an ‘unthinking’ belief in a big public sector,...
MPs have criticised the Treasury’s most senior official for publishing his view that there should be no currency union with an independent Scotland during last year’s independence referendum.
The chancellor’s support for the oil and gas and whisky industries attracted broad support in Scotland, tempered with criticism of his continued austerity drive in the public finances.
Auditors have called on the Scottish Government to set out proposals to improve its financial reporting to take account of the new fiscal powers being devolved to Holyrood.
Scotland’s current budget deficit has fallen as a percentage of gross domestic product over the last year despite lower oil revenues, according to the annual Government Expenditure...
Unprecedented pressures lie ahead for Scottish local government finances, and councils need effective long-term plans to prepare for them, the Accounts Commission for Scotland warns today in its...
CIPFA Scotland will tell MSPs later this week that the Smith Commission’s post-referendum plans to extend devolution were wrong to leave the Scottish Parliament’s new borrowing powers unchanged from...
Audit Scotland has endorsed the Scottish Government’s emergency takeover of the troubled Prestwick Airport, but warned ministers that they urgently need a clear and robust business plan for the...
