Scottish First Minister Follows UK PM Cameron in Publishing Tax Return

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, has published her full tax return, on Sunday, just hours after UK Prime Minister David Cameron published a select summary of his tax payments.

EDINBURGH (Sputnik) – Sturgeon’s tax return shows the Scottish leader was charged 32,500 of British pounds ($45,906) in tax for the financial year 2014-2015 on a salary of 104,800 pounds ($148,030).

However, a statement of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which Sturgeon leads, highlighted the first minister and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, had maintained a self-imposed salary freeze since 2008-2009 forgoing 20,000 pounds ($28,250) of income over the past six years.

Since 2009, SNP ministers have operated a voluntary pay freeze that has led to 250,000 of pounds ($353,125) of ministerial payments being reallocated to general public spending through the Scottish Government consolidated fund.

Asked by Sputnik whether other Scottish ministers will also publish their full tax returns, SNP spokeswoman Catriona Matheson said, "At the moment it will just be Nicola Sturgeon."

The disclosure of the first minister’s tax return came after the UK prime minister was forced to publish a summary of his tax returns as it was revealed he had benefited historically from an off-shore fund set up by his late father.

On Sunday, Cameron confirmed he had received 300,000 of pounds immediately following his father’s death and two further payments made a year later from his mother bringing his total inheritance to 500,000 of pounds.

The publication of tax details for politicians in the United Kingdom follows the leak of about 11 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca that implicates Britain and its overseas territories in tax avoidance schemes amounting to trillions of dollars.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has still to publish his tax return and he has promised to do so soon.