Competing claims about the costs and benefits of Scottish independence have been set out to voters. The Scottish government said an independent Scotland would start out with "strong" finances, and could be £5bn a year better off by 2029-30. UK ministers said Scotland would be better off staying within the UK by about £1,400 per person per year. The two sides set out their cases ahead of the independence referendum, on 18 September. A new Scottish government paper said Scotland's finances in 2016-17 would be similar to, or stronger than, both the UK and the G7 industrialised countries as a whole. The paper added that ... (full story)