In January 2012, sources close to the prime minister told The Scotsman that "a unified tax and benefit system is at the heart of a united country" and that these powers could not be devolved to Scotland after the referendum, though Liberal Democrat Michael Moore said in August 2013 that devolution of parts of the welfare budget should be "up for debate".
2012年1月，首相身边人告诉苏格兰人：“税收和福利制度的统一是联合国家的心脏”，这些权利在公投后不能下放给苏格兰，但自由民主党人迈克尔·摩尔2013年8月表示，部分福利预算的权力下放需要辩论。