Workers in the north and north-east boost the Treasury’s coffers by £2.6billion a year in income tax – almost a quarter of the total for the whole of Scotland.
New figures from HM Revenue and Customs have confirmed the area pays a far bigger proportion of the nation’s tax bill than its population share might suggest.
The data underlines the reputation of the oil-rich north-east as Scotland’s key wealth creator, with the affluent Aberdeen South constituency contributing more in income tax than anywhere else north of the border.
In 2011-12, workers in the constituency paid £468million to the Exchequer – 4.1% of Scotland’s total for just 2.3% of the taxpaying population.
Aberdeen South also had the highest average income in the nation, at £42,700, followed by the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency in second, at £37,800.
The combined total for the city’s three seats – Aberdeen North, South and Gordon – amounted to 9.2% of the £11.3billion for Scotland, with just 6.6% of the taxpayers.
The five constituencies in the north-east region – three in the city, plus West Aberdeenshire, and Banff and Buchan – represented 10.4% of the base, but 14.6% of the cash.
Dame Anne Begg, the Labour MP for Aberdeen South, was not surprised by the new figures.
“We’ve known for some time that Aberdeen is the powerhouse of the Scottish economy. It is absolutely central and Scotland depends on it,” she said. “The strength of the Aberdeen economy compared to other areas also illustrates the weaknesses of Scotland’s economy overall.”
The Western Isles paid the least in Scotland, at £45million, but its 0.6% share was still bigger than its 0.4% proportion of Scotland’s taxpayers.
Orkney and Shetland’s £97million contribution was the third lowest, but their 25,000 payers put in more than the 34,000 people in the Glasgow North East constituency, who paid £90million.
In total, the six seats in the Highlands and islands paid less than their population share, contributing 6.5% of the tax take while accounting for 7.7% of the people. Overall, the dozen constituencies in the north and north-east paid £2.572billion, which is 23% of Scotland’s total, with 20% of people eligible to pay.
However, the figure accounted for just 1.7% of the full £156billion income tax take for the whole of the UK.