
DIRECTORATE FOR CHIEF ECONOMIST
DECON : Office of the Chief Economic Adviser - Economic
abcd
Analysis
Manfred Stobartson
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Our Reference: 202000082249
03 September 2020
Dear Manfred Stobartson,
REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 (FOISA)
Thank you for your request dated 29 August 2020under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
2002 (FOISA).
Your request
You asked for:
GERS 2020 uses a figure of £9.692 bil ion tobacco revenues UK 2019-20, which conflict's with
HMRC figure of £8.803 bil ion.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/910224/Jul20_Receipts_NS_Table_Published_.ods
I note
Table A.5 Confidence intervals around survey based apportionments: Scotland
Tobacco duties
Range +/-21
Range(%) +/-1.7%
I find it unbelievable that GERS al ocated a share of tobacco revenue 56% higher than
Scotland's population share! The figures as al ocated to Scotland in GERS point to a revenue
Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See
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St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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ratio of for every £1 tobacco duty in Scotland (with 8% of UK population) .rUK raises £7 (based
on population ration it would be £11)
FOI request:
When is it intended to recalculate and republish GERS 2020 with corrected figures updated in
ALL corresponding tables?
Response to your request
GERS estimates of tobacco duties are consistent with the ONS Public Sector Finances. This shows
total UK tobacco duties of £9,692 mil ion in 2019-20. This is published at the link below:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/datasets/appendixdpublicsectorcurrentreceipts
Note that both HMRC and ONS data on tobacco duty are provisional, and liable to change. They are
also reported using different accounting bases.
Scotland’s share of this averages 12%, amounting to £ 1,240, based on data from the Living Costs
and Food Survey, also supplied by ONS. As set out in Chapter 1 of GERS, this is higher than a
population share, reflecting the higher prevalence smoking in Scotland. Further information on this is
available in the ONS publication Adult Smoking Habits in the UK:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bul etins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2019
Your right to request a review
If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal
review of the response, by writing to:
Gary Gil espie
Chief Economist
Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
EH1 3DG
Or by emailing
gary.gil xxxxx@xxx.xxxx.
Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made
within 40 working days from the date when you received this letter. We wil complete the review and tel
you the result, within 20 working days from the date when we receive your review request.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Scottish
Information Commissioner. More detailed information on your appeal rights is available on the
Commissioner's website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Unhappywiththeresponse
/AppealingtoCommissioner.aspx.
Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See
www.lobbying.scot
St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot
Yours sincerely
Iain Pearce
OCEAEA : Economic Analysis And Modelling
Scottish Ministers, special advisers and the Permanent Secretary are covered by the terms of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. See
www.lobbying.scot
St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG
www.gov.scot