Nicola Sturgeon's government has been slammed by opposition parties for earmarking £20 million to be spent on an independence referendum.
Finance secretary Kate Forbes today announced a spending review for the next four years as she attempts to balance the books amid a squeeze on public finances.
The review covered spending on all areas from the NHS to local government and another vote on Scotland's place within the United Kingdom.
According to the Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review document released today £20m will be spent during 2023/24 on holding an IndyRef2.
Following the election last year Sturgeon announced the SNP/Green government would look to hold a vote by the end of the first half of the parliamentary term in 2023.
Scottish Labour and the Tories hit out at Forbes for splashing cash on a referendum.
Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labour Finance spokesperson, said: "Scots are about to be hit by the worst drop in disposal cash since records began but the SNP have nothing to offer except empty rhetoric and the same old spin.
"Fifteen years of failed SNP economic policy have got us to this point, and this dire update promises more of the same.
"They are slashing support for economic development as our economy falls off a cliff and wasting £20 million on a divisive referendum while cutting local services to the bone.
"Their economic mismanagement has led to Scots' wages growing more slowly than the rest of the UK, making this cost of living crisis all the more painful and draining money from public coffers."
While, Tory finance spokesperson Liz Smith said: "With hard-pressed families here in Scotland struggling to make ends meet, the SNP must urgently get on top of our economic decline.
"They must commit to bringing Scottish income tax levels back on a par with the UK, so that Scotland is no longer the highest taxed part of the country.
"They must address the ever-growing skills gap that is stifling our productivity.
"And they must take an economically devastating independence referendum off the table, to finally prioritise Scotland’s economic growth."
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