2016 Budget

I'm keeping quiet on this one

 

good points (for me/partner): half price toll on severn bridge, tax free income goes up to 11,500 in apr 2017, self employed under 40's aimed ISA with 25% top up from gov for home purchase or pension, fuel duty froze, sugar levy - with all monies going to improving childrens health and the best one, ni contributions to be scrapped for self employed.

bad points: beer, cider and spirits tax froze - I don't drink! and public services to be cut by cant remember the figure but it was billions per year... hate to see what thats going to do around my area, we've closed arts groups, reduced bus service, after school groups cancelled, events around the local area are really poor, theatres and 13 libraries were closed in 2014 in our county alone so who knows. And Theresa May with her puppies out, such a scruffy cow.

 

I never can make much sense of budgets, always just seem a shuffle around of the same money to me.

One interesting point there @Lynd , are you saying self employed will pay no NI ???

Then I presume they will get no government pension or national health care???

 

It's one of them days for me I think.
I reckon I'm gonna start another riot now

The £ 11,500 per year works out at
£221.15 per week. Surely a low form of taxation could be implemented on this amount, for instance £5 for every whole hundred earned rather than no tax at all.
I know if I was working I would rather pay something and know that it could go towards the NHS or similar.

Would anyone on that amount really miss £10.

 

I've been so eager to get on the forum today, I couldn't wait for the GC non gardening topic 'the budget' now I disappointed @clanless come on I'm relying on you......I'm going to have to do a Google search at this rate!!!! Or worse still watch the news .

 

I agree with you mostly Armandii, but I think people who are working and getting benefits who can't cope are living beyond their means ( probably ).

I have to survive on £101 a week and have just received my community charge bill to find that it has gone from £8 a month to £20 a month. OK, so that may not seem a lot but when you add on electric, water, tv licence and so on it adds up.
When I left work 6 years ago due to ill health I was earning £140 a week and I couldn't claim owt. So, now people can earn £221 and they are depending on paying no tax and receiving benefits.
I wonder how many computers, tablets, games, mobile phones etc they are running instead of buying food etc.

 

@pete good point, although I don't think that is the case and if it is, there's always voluntary contributions to top up.

@Anthony Rogers I kinda get what your saying.. but what benefits are you referring to? Tax creds? Personally, I don't think we shouldn't have means tested top ups such as tax credits, at the end of the day, our wages should cover our basic needs, whether we choose to have children or not. In the last few years we have actually owed hmrc for tax creds, as they go on last years combined earnings, but still receive them every month (work that out!). We have also been in the unfortunate position of being on the dole/job seekers 6 years ago due to the recession, where tax credits saved us a few times from going hungry or cold and back then I would of found it very hard to give up 10 quid a week and just before construction picked up in 2012, Mr Lynd got a job with the council grass cutting for 215 a week and we would have struggled then without them too. Swings and roundabouts! As for taxing income, thats different to top up benefits (tax creds) as it takes your income separately, my partner pays 20% and I pay nothing as I only do seasonal now, that is our choice and it works for us. We do spoil our kids with latest stuff on birthdays and xmas but we don't go without to provide these though and I'm not saying mr lynd earns mega bucks.. wish he did though!

 

Amazingly, this in the first budget in many, many years that doesn't appear to have adversely affected me. I was worried when I heard mention of introduction of 'sugar tax, thinking it would increase the cost of the main ingredient of homemade wine, 39p/Kg sugar from Farmfoods (+ 20 mins spent picking blackberries and fermenting to dryness provides me with sugar free wine for 35p/bottle).

I'm also amazed what people consider a small income, the 2 of us and our dog survive perfectly well on just my small early retirement pension between us (less per person than anything mentioned above), none of us work (including our 'Working' Cocker Spaniel!) and we receive no benefits whatsoever nor any Council Tax Benefit, we manage holidays whenever we want, our cars are bought new (although these days we've economised and downsized to just one between us), and we can afford decent laptops (one I just bought was £650), tablets, mobiles, TVs in most rooms, any gardening/camera stuff I fancy.

We're also support our daughter at Uni, taking her loads of food, household items, etc. every time we collect/return her, pay for her holidays, mobile phones + contract charges, new laptops/external storage, expensive outdoor clothing, spectacles/contact lenses, haircuts, homebrew wine & pasteurised own pressed apple juice, and all sorts of other equipment like outdoor stuff, printers, paper, ink cartridges, and help with other costs like topping up her Asda shopping card.

And we even manage to save a little! It's hard work being ultra frugal, but there's lots of those who can't cope and the announcement of the abolition of the Money Advice Service in the Budget http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35820752 is going to adversely affect a lot of people who're struggling. Mrs Scrungee used to work providing money advice/representing in court those who can't cope financially and thinks this a really bad move.

 

Government raise the point at which we start paying tax by a few hundred.. So those at the bottom gain but heck it's not by much.

For those who earn a lot more the point they start paying tax at forty percent is raised by 5 thousand pounds... So the better off gain again.

But I tell you what worries me. I does not affect be but it worries me...

The government reduce business rates which is fine but now have pledged to find that money which is roughly 4.5 billion by taking it from the disabled ....

What a fine man our chancellor is and the same person who is likely to be our next prime minister...

A government for the people ?

 

George 'snuck' in the extra £3.5 billion to come off public spending - I wait with anticipation to see how he is going to do it.

All schools to be acadamies by 2022 - will see the education function of councils disappear - and more responsibilities put on already stretched teaching staff. Still, will reduce local government staffing and therefore save a few quid.

Sugar tax? That'll stop people from buying pop won't it?