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Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Paul Hutcheon

Nicola Sturgeon publishes tax returns and urges Rishi Sunak to do the same

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has published her tax returns - piling pressure on the Prime Minister to do the same.

The documents, going back to 2014, were made available after a long-standing commitment to release the information.

Politicians of all stripes have faced calls for years to publish their returns, a demand fuelled by the resignation from the UK Cabinet of Nadim Zahawi over his financial affairs.

Sunak has also been criticised over his family's finances after it emerged his wife had non-dom status.

Sturgeon said: "I previously committed to being open and transparent to the people of Scotland about my own earnings. Today's publication makes good on that commitment.

"These documents show clearly that my sole source of income is my job as First Minister - the office which I have the immense privilege of holding.

"I hope other party leaders - including the Prime Minister - will follow suit in an effort to promote transparency in public office."

Her documents, which were released by the SNP, list a total annual pay of £140,496 from her employment as an MSP and First Minister.

Since April 2009, Scottish ministers have frozen their pay and declined to accept their full salary entitlement, with the remainder going towards public spending.

The SNP said this meant the First Minister will forgo more than £27,000 of her salary in the current financial year.

She also called on Holyrood's leaders to publish their returns: “I think it does help with transparency. And I think other party leaders in the Scottish Parliament and, indeed, in Westminster should follow suit.”

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and Anas Sarwar are both committed to publishing their returns.

A Labour source said Sarwar’s only income is his MSP salary.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will publish his tax returns for the period since he became leader.

Sunak said of his own intentions recently: “They will be published shortly. As you know the tax filing deadline was just a few days ago. So that’s why.

“So we do the tax-filing deadlines just passed, so they’re just being prepared and they will be released shortly.”

The non-dom status of Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, allowed her to save millions of pounds in tax. She then gave up the tax status.

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