Do we have the resources?

Scotland will be able to use our vast natural resources, our highly skilled population, our own tax base and strengths like our international reputation to build a more prosperous future.

We have what it takes to prosper as an independent country and can share that wealth more fairly so families like yours feel more financially secure.

• Scotland is the EU’s largest oil producer, with more than half the value of North Sea Oil and Gas still to extract. Oil and gas reserves are expected to contribute over £48 billion in tax revenues over the next 6 years. Under international law, Scotland accounted for 96% of UK offshore oil production, and 52% of offshore gas.
• We could establish an oil fund like Norway, currently worth around £450 billion - more than £90,000 per person and more than 6 times the UK cash bailout of RBS and Lloyds. This would give us a massive safety net for the future.
• And building for the future, we have 25% of the EU’s potential for offshore wind and tidal energy, and 10% of wave power, altogether worth up to £14 billion each year by 2050
• Then we have the whisky industry with exports worth £4.2 billion - 23% of the UK’s food and drink exports, the food and drink industry worth £10 billion, with fish and aquaculture Scotland’s largest food export, tourism which generates over £5 billion and 200,000 jobs, the Scottish construction industry worth around £21.4 billion annually and agricultural output worth £2.7 billion and 11.4% of UK total agricultural output.
• And we have Scottish ingenuity – for our size we have more highly ranked Universities than the UK, the US or Europe. Good ideas generated by Scots and Scotland have changed the world around us and will continue to do so