Inflation expected to remain at 4-5% this year, 2.5% next year and 2% the following year.
Libya military action to be financed entirely by Treasury and Treasury reserve.
Borrowing forecast to fall from £146 billion this year to £29 billion in 2015/16.


HOMES
£250 million shared equity scheme for first-time home buyers.

ROADS
£100 million to help repair potholes on the roads.


ENTERPRISE AND SCIENCE
21 new enterprise zones to be created.
£100 million extra to be invested in new science centres.


ENVIRONMENT
Green Deal to reduce energy bills from next year.
The UK to become the first country in the world to introduce a carbon price floor for the power sector.
New "green investment bank" to have access to £3 billion of funds.


EDUCATION AND JOBS
24 university technical colleges to be founded.
Extra 40,000 apprenticeships for jobless young people in England.


PENSIONS
Hutton recommendations on public sector pensions accepted.
Single-tier flat-rate state pension to be created, expected to be about £140-a-week.


CHARITY
Gift aid administration to be simplified, especially for small donations.


TAX AND DUTY
Direct tax to be indexed by CPI from April 2012.
Consultation on merging National Insurance and income tax.
From April, corporation tax will be reduced by 2%, and by 1% in each of the following three years, to bring it to 23%.
Bank levy rate to be adjusted to offset the cut in corporation tax.
£350 million worth of regulation on businesses to be removed.
Relief for entrepreneur tax doubled to £10 million.
A £50,000 charge for non-doms who have lived in the UK for 12 years.
The 50p tax rate should be a temporary measure - tax receipts to be reviewed.
Taxation of high value property needs reform.
Rate relief holiday for small businesses extended to October 2012.
Inheritance tax discount for charitable donations.
Tax avoidance loopholes to be closed, raising £1 billion.
Personal tax allowance to rise from £7,475 to more than £8,105 in April 2012.
Plans to switch air passenger duty from passengers to planes have been dropped.
Air passenger duty rise postponed for one year. The Government will seek to impose the tax on private jets.
No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.
Tobacco duty changes announced earlier take effect from 6pm today.
Business mileage allowance increased from 40p to 45p.
Fair Fuel Stabiliser introduced, funded by increasing the supplementary charge on North Sea oil and gas production from 20% to 32% from tomorrow.
Petrol price escalator cancelled when oil price is high.
Fuel duty cut by 1p per litre from 6pm today.

Quote from: Pete on March 23, 2011, 17:21:25 PM

No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.

so we keeps labour old rule of 2% above inflation.. which is currently 5%+, so that makes it 7%+ increase.

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 23, 2011, 17:49:56 PM

Quote from: Pete on March 23, 2011, 17:21:25 PM

No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.

so we keeps labour old rule of 2% above inflation.. which is currently 5%+, so that makes it 7%+ increase.

Yep, 15p on wine, 50p on spirits and 15p on a pint.

Also 50p on a pack of fags.

Quote from: sexytw on March 23, 2011, 18:28:00 PM

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 23, 2011, 17:49:56 PM

Quote from: Pete on March 23, 2011, 17:21:25 PM

No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.

so we keeps labour old rule of 2% above inflation.. which is currently 5%+, so that makes it 7%+ increase.

Yep, 15p on wine, 50p on spirits and 15p on a pint.

Also 50p on a pack of fags.

15p on a pint is utterly shocking, pub industry is on its knees already.

edit - sorry except for weatherspoons aka spongehole/dosshole/workshy central/depravity pit/ etc

Grauniad are saying it's 4p a pint,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/mar/23/budget-2011-brewing-and-pubs-under-threat


Still terrible mind, a lot of pubs don't stand a chance 

Quote from: sexytw on March 23, 2011, 18:28:00 PM

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 23, 2011, 17:49:56 PM

Quote from: Pete on March 23, 2011, 17:21:25 PM

No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.

so we keeps labour old rule of 2% above inflation.. which is currently 5%+, so that makes it 7%+ increase.

Yep, 15p on wine, 50p on spirits and 15p on a pint.

Also 50p on a pack of fags.

Well all those Tory/LibDem supporters voted this sh*te government into power.

First thing they do is sink the navy, then they wack taxes up and cut them for big business. Now they expect the forces to do even more with less.

TBVH I didn't think I would miss Gordon Brown but I'm sorta doing that right now 

Quote from: Serious on March 24, 2011, 02:50:53 AM

Quote from: sexytw on March 23, 2011, 18:28:00 PM

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 23, 2011, 17:49:56 PM

Quote from: Pete on March 23, 2011, 17:21:25 PM

No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.

so we keeps labour old rule of 2% above inflation.. which is currently 5%+, so that makes it 7%+ increase.

Yep, 15p on wine, 50p on spirits and 15p on a pint.

Also 50p on a pack of fags.

Well all those Tory/LibDem supporters voted this sh*te government into power.

First thing they do is sink the navy, then they wack taxes up and cut them for big business. Now they expect the forces to do even more with less.

TBVH I didn't think I would miss Gordon Brown but I'm sorta doing that right now 

what about abolishing the above inflation fuel duty (same as the alcohol) the new goverment has scrapped?
as well as deferring the 4p duty on fuel for another year - added by labour & looking to bring in some sort of fair cap system.

Its all swings & roundabouts. One party wanted to sort the mess out long term (15-20years), the other short term plan of 5 years.
I know which I prefer.

What taxes exactly have they raised? They pretty much cut a lot except for fags, spirits & wine - left everything else to the labour policy
introduced when they was in power - ie Beer.

Next you will be telling us the Tories didn't slam another load on VAT 

VAT hits the poorest much harder than the rich, so now they use the money they've robbed from pensioners, the sick and low paid to feather the pockets of the rich.

Fuel duty cut is minimal compared to the tax they will get as the price increases.

Quote from: Serious on March 24, 2011, 21:06:02 PM
Next you will be telling us the Tories didn't slam another load on VAT 

VAT hits the poorest much harder than the rich, so now they use the money they've robbed from pensioners, the sick and low paid to feather the pockets of the rich.

Fuel duty cut is minimal compared to the tax they will get as the price increases.

no, but a vat hike was always going to come after slashing it to 15%, whoever was in charge.

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 24, 2011, 21:11:35 PM

Quote from: Serious on March 24, 2011, 21:06:02 PM
Next you will be telling us the Tories didn't slam another load on VAT 

VAT hits the poorest much harder than the rich, so now they use the money they've robbed from pensioners, the sick and low paid to feather the pockets of the rich.

Fuel duty cut is minimal compared to the tax they will get as the price increases.

no, but a vat hike was always going to come after slashing it to 15%, whoever was in charge.

It was reduced to 15% temporarily, was then returned to 17.5% and would have stayed at 17.5% for the foreseeable future - so don't give us that rot.

Tories have had an eye on upping it since Thatcher was in power, now they have managed it.

I note you don't comment on the rich getting tax breaks.

Quote from: Serious on March 24, 2011, 21:16:01 PM

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 24, 2011, 21:11:35 PM

Quote from: Serious on March 24, 2011, 21:06:02 PM
Next you will be telling us the Tories didn't slam another load on VAT 

VAT hits the poorest much harder than the rich, so now they use the money they've robbed from pensioners, the sick and low paid to feather the pockets of the rich.

Fuel duty cut is minimal compared to the tax they will get as the price increases.

no, but a vat hike was always going to come after slashing it to 15%, whoever was in charge.

It was reduced to 15% temporarily, was then returned to 17.5% and would have stayed at 17.5% for the foreseeable future - so don't give us that rot.

Tories have had an eye on upping it since Thatcher was in power, now they have managed it.

I note you don't comment on the rich getting tax breaks.

the rich should get tax breaks, they are the once create the jobs... they are the ones hit by an extra band of income tax as well.
Pour money in at the top & it should trickle down a lot quicker than pouring money in at the bottom & expecting it to trickle up.

As for VAT Labour would have put it up eventually, even if they didnt we would all now have a 4p extra duty on petrol.
Its all swings & roundabouts & massaging the figures enough to please everyone.

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 24, 2011, 21:50:23 PM

the rich should get tax breaks, they are the once create the jobs... they are the ones hit by an extra band of income tax as well.
Pour money in at the top & it should trickle down a lot quicker than pouring money in at the bottom & expecting it to trickle up.

As for VAT Labour would have put it up eventually, even if they didnt we would all now have a 4p extra duty on petrol.
Its all swings & roundabouts & massaging the figures enough to please everyone.

The rich only make jobs because they make money from the effort others put in. As for the 'trickle down economy' all I can say is it's never worked in the past, it won't work now and it will never work in the future. It's been proven, time and time again, to be a propaganda fraud spread by fat rich pigs.

Money migrates up, and because the system favours those who are already rich it stays there like a huge dosh magnet, pulling the rest up too. That's why you end up with a few very rich people and an awful lot of poor ones. This happens EVERYWHERE. Even in the UK the richest 1% are still getting proportionately richer and the poorest 20% aren't.

This world is run by business, not charity. That means profit for those already rich is king, not the poor. If you want to learn more try reading some history.

Oh, and as to the 1p cut, many aren't seeing it happen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12862949

Quote from: Serious on March 25, 2011, 17:11:01 PM

Quote from: Eggtastico on March 24, 2011, 21:50:23 PM

the rich should get tax breaks, they are the once create the jobs... they are the ones hit by an extra band of income tax as well.
Pour money in at the top & it should trickle down a lot quicker than pouring money in at the bottom & expecting it to trickle up.

As for VAT Labour would have put it up eventually, even if they didnt we would all now have a 4p extra duty on petrol.
Its all swings & roundabouts & massaging the figures enough to please everyone.

The rich only make jobs because they make money from the effort others put in. As for the 'trickle down economy' all I can say is it's never worked in the past, it won't work now and it will never work in the future. It's been proven, time and time again, to be a propaganda fraud spread by fat rich pigs.

Money migrates up, and because the system favours those who are already rich it stays there like a huge dosh magnet, pulling the rest up too. That's why you end up with a few very rich people and an awful lot of poor ones. This happens EVERYWHERE. Even in the UK the richest 1% are still getting proportionately richer and the poorest 20% aren't.

This world is run by business, not charity. That means profit for those already rich is king, not the poor. If you want to learn more try reading some history.

Oh, and as to the 1p cut, many aren't seeing it happen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12862949

trying to flood it in at the bottom has got the country into all sorts of mess.
Dont care what you say, but making the bottom feeders have access to credit cards, loans, high risk borrowing, giving out mortgages like candy, etc.
was only going to end in a bad way.
labour always help those who wont or cant help themselves, tories help those who do help themselves.

And that was obviously Labour's fault and nobody else's? I think not!

Lots of business people have said to governments over the years, trust me, this is a good idea. Then it's proved to be anything but a good idea.

Over availability of credit is completely different to money distribution. Borrowing may make you temporarily more wealthy but poorer in the long term.

Short term greed often over rules long term steady profit.

Just because the Tories try to portray themselves as the patron saints of business doesn't mean they are, during the last Labour government plenty was done to help businesses of all sizes, as well as attempting to make the situation a little fairer to everyone. Blair, for all his faults, was the best small c conservative PM we have had for a very long time.

You can't flood the bottom with money, the increase needs to be controlled. But, as soon as you put some in it tends to head upwards. While trickle down has proved to be a total myth trickle up has been proven for several thousands of years.

And, as micro credit firms have proven in developing nations, putting money in at the bottom helps those that are willing to help themselves but don't have the resources to start.

Quote from: Serious on March 25, 2011, 19:31:04 PM
And that was obviously Labour's fault and nobody else's? I think not!

Lots of business people have said to governments over the years, trust me, this is a good idea. Then it's proved to be anything but a good idea.

Over availability of credit is completely different to money distribution. Borrowing may make you temporarily more wealthy but poorer in the long term.

Short term greed often over rules long term steady profit.

Just because the Tories try to portray themselves as the patron saints of business doesn't mean they are, during the last Labour government plenty was done to help businesses of all sizes, as well as attempting to make the situation a little fairer to everyone. Blair, for all his faults, was the best small c conservative PM we have had for a very long time.

You can't flood the bottom with money, the increase needs to be controlled. But, as soon as you put some in it tends to head upwards. While trickle down has proved to be a total myth trickle up has been proven for several thousands of years.

And, as micro credit firms have proven in developing nations, putting money in at the bottom helps those that are willing to help themselves but don't have the resources to start.

labour did encourage banks to lend money. It should never be possible for someone to borrow 5,6 or 7times their salary for a mortgage - its economical suicide.
It also drove up inflation, but thats a different arguement.
As for available credit, Just walk into any shop that offers items on tick. Currys, Comet, PCWorld, etc. even catalogs like
littlewoods, kays & next. Then theres Credit cards like citibank, capital one, etc. Credit was to easy to obtain.  It all allowed for iresponsible borrowing.
That is Labours fault for allowing banks to self regulate themselves which was introduced in 1995.

As for distribution look at the debt this country is in.... oh & our gold being sold off when prices was at a record low.
Money fed in at the bottom didnt filter up, it drained out - its been to easy for some to live a life without having to work
simply because of what the state offers. Micro Lending works in developing nations because people have to earn money. They dont have the luxury of rent free living & an income
handout that provides enough money to live with basic comforts. Trickle up would work if it actually went to those who want to do something with the money.
unfortunate there isnt enough money available to people who want to start up a business or expand an existing business. They dont have to be grants, but the goverment could invest for a small share & future profits, etc. Whoever are in charge are usually quite happy to help bigger companies though, Labour helped the car industry with the scrap incentitive as well as the instruction to build houses - & thousands of houses have been built in the last 15 years or so. Both them examples not only offers job creation, but also keeps people in jobs - and not only at the big companies. Smaller companies usually make the bearings,etc. that a certain car model uses.

Labour dont know how to run businesses & Tories dont know how to look after people, they are as bad as each other - but we will always have these cycles as people grow up
under one goverment, people think things cant get worse under the other lot!