The Equivalent was a sum negotiated at £398,085 10s. 0d. paid to Scotland by the English Government under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707. Proposals for it first emerged in the course of abortive Union negotiations in 1702 to 1703. The Equivalent's purposes were ostensibly to take account of the contribution that Scots taxpayers would then make towards servicing the English national debt and as transitional mitigation of the effects of higher taxes on the Scottish economy. Though attempts have been made to see it as a precise calculation, it is now generally regarded as part of a political bargain designed for other purposes as well, such as the costs of winding up the Company of Scotland which had undertaken the

Darien scheme The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt, backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland, to gain wealth and influence by establishing ''New Caledonia'', a colony on the Isthmus of Panama, in the late 1690s. The plan was for the co ...

. Shareholders in and creditors of the Company were to receive 58.6% of The Equivalent. It was also suggested that payments found their way to members of the Scottish Parliament who voted for its abolition.Crofton, Ian. ''A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and Fable'', Birlinn, 2012, p. 161.

Further information

For further information on the context and background see Acts of Union 1707.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Equivalent Unionism in Scotland England–Scotland relations Negotiation Payments 1707 in Scotland 1707 in England 1707 in international relations