Most people in England still believe the British government spends their taxes mainly on English public services. The reality is very different.
As mentioned in the previous article, since devolution began in 1998, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have gained extensive control over health, education, housing, transport and parts of taxation.
The UK Government still collects most taxes centrally through HM Treasury, but billions are redistributed every year to devolved governments through Treasury block grants under the Barnett Formula. As of the 7th May 2026, those devolved nations have nationalist political parties in charge of them.
The key issue is simple. England raises the overwhelming majority of UK tax revenue, yet large amounts are spent outside England on services the British government no longer directly controls.
Taxpayers in England fund the system, but England alone has no government of its own to argue that workers across should have their taxes spent on them, their families and communities.
The following chart shows you how much is approximately raised by the separate parts of the UK.
Who Raises Most of the Tax Revenue?
| Nation | Approx Annual Tax Revenue Raised | Share of Total UK Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| England | £930 billion | About 85% |
| Scotland | £95 billion | About 8% |
| Wales | £45 billion | About 4% |
| Northern Ireland | £20 billion | About 2% |
England dominates the UK economy and overwhelmingly funds the Treasury. Scotland raises more per head than Wales and Northern Ireland, but all three devolved administrations receive higher public spending per person than England.
The following chart shows you how the money is distributed by the British government. It is clear viewing both charts that England raises the most amount in taxes but receives significantly less than it raises.
Where the Money Goes
| Nation | Approx Public Spending Received | Financial Position |
|---|---|---|
| England | Around £750 billion | Net contributor but receives less than it raises |
| Scotland | Around £117 billion | Receives more than it raises |
| Wales | Around £56 billion | Receives significantly more than it raises |
| Northern Ireland | Around £38 billion | Receives far more than it raises |
This chart shows Exactly why taxpayers across England are allowed to “weep.”
Workers in England generate the overwhelming majority of Britain’s tax revenue, yet the British government continues exploiting taxpayers in England to finance the rest of United Kingdom. Families across England receive the lowest public spending per person in the entire Union.
What Each Nation Receives Back Per Person
| Nation | Approx Public Spending Per Person | Approx Total Public Spending |
|---|---|---|
| England | £13,100 | Around £750bn |
| Scotland | £15,500 | Around £117bn |
| Wales | £15,100 | Around £56bn |
| Northern Ireland | £16,100 | Around £38bn |
(England receives the lowest public spending per head in the United Kingdom).
Scotland receives around 18 to 20% more public spending per person than England. Wales receives roughly 15 % more. Northern Ireland receives over 20% more due to its political settlement and smaller economy.
In simple terms, England raises substantially more money than it receives back in identifiable spending, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive more public spending than they raise in taxation.
Yet the UK government cannot directly control how much of this money is spent once block grants are transferred. That is the constitutional contradiction now sitting at the centre of the United Kingdom.
Workers in England are paying into a system where billions leave England every year while English infrastructure, housing, transport and local services remain under severe pressure. Roads deteriorate, councils face bankruptcy, NHS waiting lists grow and major infrastructure projects are repeatedly delayed, yet England continues being treated as the ‘Treasury’s cash machine’ for the entire Union.
Meanwhile, devolved governments are free to pursue increasingly separate political agendas using money collected from England through the British government’s tax system.
The obvious question is becoming impossible to ignore.
If Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland possess devolved governments with growing autonomy, why does England continue funding a system where it has no separate government and receives the lowest spending per person in the UK?
Britain still exists as a single state on paper. Financially and politically, however, the Union is divided to the detriment of workers in England
Stephen Morris
General Secretary
Workers of England Union
References
(HMRC Regional Tax Statistics 2024–2025, Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) 2024, UK Treasury Block Grant Transparency Publications, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Regional Public Spending Analysis, House of Commons Library, Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, House of Commons Library, The Barnett Formula and Fiscal Devolution and numerous different media outlets)
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