SCOTLAND would become independent in "more promising circumstances" than other new states if September's referendum delivers a Yes vote, Alex Salmond will claim today.
The First Minister will argue that an independent Scotland would be among the wealthiest countries in the world, with sufficiently strong public finances to leave the UK.
His comments will come in a speech in the South Lanarkshire town of Rutherglen, where his Cabinet is due to meet as part of a tour on the country.
A programme of accompanying campaign events is also planned.
He will say: "We need the powers of independence to create sustainable prosperity across the whole of Scotland, and to ensure that everyone feels the benefits of that prosperity.
"If we vote yes in September then Scotland will become independent in more promising circumstances than virtually any nation in history.
"Scotland has contributed more in taxes, per person, than the rest of the UK for every single one of the last 33 years.
"We would be among the wealthiest nations in the OECD. Scotland would be 14th on the list, with the UK at 18th.
"Seven out of the ten wealthiest countries in the developed world have populations similar to, or smaller than, Scotland."
He will accuse the UK Government of being "desperate to talk Scotland down".
On Wednesday the Scottish Government is poised to publish new estimates for oil revenues, following calls from opposition MSPs who have complained the figures underpinning the SNP's independence White Paper are out of date and over-optimistic.
The government report will also put a figure on the amount by which it believes Scots would be better off under independence.
On the same day the UK Treasury will unveil its latest analysis of Scotland's income and SNP spending plans. It will assess the costs of independence over a 20-year period from 2016 to 2035/36.
Finance Secretary John Swinney has written to Treasury's top civil servant, Sir Nicholas Macpherson, after the UK Government claimed it would cost up to £2.7 billion to create 180 public agencies in an independent Scotland.
Mr Swinney said the figures were "patently untrue" and based on "blatantly flawed and false information".
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