The Budget

[Desmo]

# Chancellor George Osborne is delivering his first Budget
# VAT to rise from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January next year
# Income tax allowance to rise by £1,000
# No rise in alcohol, tobacco or fuel duties
# Child benefits frozen for three years; medical examination for new disabilities living allowance claimants
# Link between basic state pension and earnings to be restored
# Capital gains tax for higher rate tax payers to rise to 28%
# Two-year pay freeze for public sector workers earning more than £21,000
# Levy imposed on banks

[vix]

Wish they'd stop messing with VAT - makes my notes a nightmare

Liking the medical assessment for new and current DLA claimants.

[Tak]

More blurb...I mean key points:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10374475.stm

Still skim reading it atm

[Zirax]

Originally Posted by vix

Liking the medical assessment for new and current DLA claimants.

I'm not.

While it would get rid of a lot of the fakers, you also have to deal with dipstick doctors rather than consultants who are more likely to know about the condition. The medical assessment will be outsourced to a generic "know all" who won't have a clue (ticksheet of doom). I know this as I work for the company that does it all at present for other arms of the gov't

Not claiming at the moment but in the future I will be entitled to.

[Haly]

Originally Posted by Zirax

I'm not.

While it would get rid of a lot of the fakers, you also have to deal with dipstick doctors rather than consultants who are more likely to know about the condition. The medical assessment will be outsourced to a generic "know all" who won't have a clue (ticksheet of doom). I know this as I work for the company that does it all at present for other arms of the gov't

Not claiming at the moment but in the future I will be entitled to.

That's my concern too :/

[Will]

I think it looks fairly drastic but probably necessary. 20% VAT will generate over 13bn alone which isn't a bad thing and won't really affect me in a horrendous way. Liking the captial gains tax increase. Shame about the freeze on public sector workers, but at least they are keeping their jobs, so it's not disastrous, they could have made actual cuts and render people redundant.

It was always going to be a tough one to devise, but I think it's harsh, but necessary. It's going to be a tough couple of years, but we're still so so weak after the recession that we're hardly out of at the moment. It might stifle growth a little, but conversely it *should* help the economy stabilise a little.

[vix]

Originally Posted by Zirax

I'm not.

While it would get rid of a lot of the fakers, you also have to deal with dipstick doctors rather than consultants who are more likely to know about the condition. The medical assessment will be outsourced to a generic "know all" who won't have a clue (ticksheet of doom). I know this as I work for the company that does it all at present for other arms of the gov't

Not claiming at the moment but in the future I will be entitled to.

Well, yes, it will be more effective if not dealt with by dipsticks!

[Will]

Well the cuts have to go somewhere old bean, the country's ****ed. They need stability in the economy and whilst drastic I think it's not overly bad. Once they have stability they can start to rebuild some growth - but at the moment there's no flow it's so hap-hazard. In 2 years time we'll see, if there's no growth and GDP hasn't recovered then we'll know they didn't do the right thing.

Rather this than Labour benefits to all and sundry whilst taxing the middle/high earners.

[Joe 90]

I heard there was some implication of 10% change in the price of cider. this is the only part which concerns me. I hope its a 10% cut.

I don't think much else effects me in any major way.

[Kitten]

it's a reversal of the duty that Labour put on it in the last budget, so yes, it has been 'cut'.