Today's Emergency Budget

[joinerjohn]

So then Lads and Lasses. Your views on today's emergency budget.
£400 limit on Housing Benefits? That'll see a few des res's in London become vacant for those that can pay.
VAT rise. Was this inevitable? Hmm I'm out on that one.
No rise in Beer Wine and Spirits? Good news for the drinkers amongst us, Although I suspect the breweries will increase prices anyway.
Scrapping the landline charge on phones to fund high speed internet for all.
Great, That's a fiver I don't have to pay
Anything else you feel is good or bad about this?

 

[Whitespirit66]

No extra duty on my coffin nails!

 

[skitzee2k]

They were clever with the VAT timetable.
They should have cut benefits by more but you can't have everything.

 

[Deleted member 105431]

Too soft on scroungers and the public sector pay & pensions but a good start on tackling the debt.

 

[EddieM]

Reform the public sector pension system would have saved a lot.

 

[joe-90]

The real savings are hidden. All non-ringfenced departments must make 25% cuts. That's pretty drastic cutting.

 

[Steve]

No extra duty on my coffin nails!

I am surprised. £10 for a pack of 20, £5 for a pack of 10, £50 for 100 (no price breaks for bigger packs) No branding except "cancer sticks" in black text on plain white packs. My vision for the future. Wipe out the deficit in a year

 

[mark vincent]

If you put fags up to £10 a packet it will only make tobacco smugglers even richer

 

[mark vincent]

Is that £400 a week or £400 a month limit on HB?

 

[Thermo]

as it stands at the moment in my position i dont see it as too bad (backed up by my wifes view whose an accountant!) The tax threshold going up, the freeze in council tax etc. DOnt really see a big problem with the vat. It will add 250 to a 10 grand project, is someone going to pull the plug on that?

something had to be done to sort the mess out

 

[SteNova]

Is that £400 a week or £400 a month limit on HB?

a week ffs!!

 

[joe-90]

You aint gonna get no doley giving up his HB to work for minimum wage.

 

[Blasphemous]

I'd prefer to have seen him hammer the Bankers for every penny they owe us! But then, they're all part of the Ox-Bridge brigade!

 

[Bahco]

This Housing Benefit cap will upset those fat cat landlords in London and other sought after locations.

 

[joinerjohn]

This Housing Benefit cap will upset those fat cat landlords in London and other sought after locations.

May well upset landlords who are guaranteed upwards of £900 a week in HB from Westminster council for asylum seekers. But to be quite honest these asylum seekers shouldn't be kept in luxury in the first place. Give them a council house somewhere, if they refuse it, give them a tent.

The increase in tax threshold doesn't come in till next April so that's just over 9 months away. VAT increase should only affect those buying luxury goods, although this will affect the price of fuel too and will no doubt contribute to an increase in everything.