Sign in / up

back to article Pre-election budget targets politics, not policy

In a budget lacking the traditional pre-election giveaway, the chancellor dedicated much of his speech to congratulating himself on measures taken in the last two years to mitigate the impact of recession and bail out the financial sector. The most significant tax change is to stamp duty, which will rise to five per cent for …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Horns

    Typical liebore spin

    Halving the deficit is a red herring.

    Dropping borrowing from £160 billion a year to £80 billion a year still leaves your debt increasing quite dramatically.

    If you have the bailiffs at the door do you think they'll be happy when you say "I'll only increase my borrowing by £500 a month instead of the usual £1000". Or will they suggest politely that you'd better start paying back some feckin money?

    Dropping the debt is the real issue not the deficit.

    10 2
  2. Real Ale is Best
    Thumb Down

    Bah!

    "Lets put lots of tax on alcohol and tons on cider, as that's produced in places that never vote for us anyway."

    Again Labour give us a good kicking, then tax us on trying to find some sort of forgetfulness.

    2 0
  3. breakfast Silver badge

    Crazy fuels

    That will have fuel up past the £1.20 mark pretty soon then.

    Now I don't mind green taxation in principle, but the problem here is that the government is offering no alternative to driving. There is no useful public transport that comes close to going anywhere I need to go at the times I need to go there and there are no plans to change that or to make the transport comfortable if I was able to take it. If they're taxing to change behaviour, but they offer no way to actually make any changes, so it's basically just a way of stealing from the public.

    The british people care a lot about fairness and I don't know how long we'll stand for that.

    5 2
    1. Duncan Hothersall
      Reply Icon
      Flame

      Not really that crazy

      Petrol is roughly at the same price in real terms today as it was in the mid 80s. The craziness was the massive drop in the real terms price from the late 80s to the late 90s. Since then the price has nothing more than returned to its mid 80s level - and that includes the effect of the incremental duty hikes brought in by the Tories and embraced by Labour.

      So I think we can do with less talk about "stealing from the public" or unfairness, and more acknowledgement of the reality of fuel pricing.

      4 5
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        WTF?

        At Duncun...

        what a stupid arguement.

        The price of fuel has fuck all to do with your point. If it was £1.20 litre because fuel prices were high (as in the mid 80's), then I'd accept your point.

        But would you be happy for 80%+ tax on everything you bought? No? Thought not.

        So when you pay 80%+ tax on goods, i I think it's pretty fair to say we're being robbed.

        3 0
        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Happy

          Tax

          I think what you mean is that about 80% of the purchase price of petrol/diesel IS tax.

          Which means that the actual tax RATE is not about 80%, but about 400%.

          Feel even more robbed now, don't you?

          0 0
      2. RichyS
        Reply Icon
        WTF?

        Well, quite crazy

        So, by that rationale, if Labour stuck an extra tax of, ooh, let's say, 200% on IT equipment 'to bring it back to the same price in real terms as the mid 80s', that would be okay too?

        The fact is that Labour have been spunking money up against a wall for years, forgetting that the good times may not keep rolling...

        8 1
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Flame

      Well?

      Well they've been doing it for over 10 years now and the British public haven't so much raised a cheep.

      Not that I disagree with you. I live in a rural location and I'd have to drive 15 miles to reach a train station, to take a train 30min to a station that actually has destinations that I'd like to go to. Except that the trains at the nearest station are so infrequent it's not worth doing.

      So instead I drive 25 miles to get to a station.

      This lot don't tax to change behaviour, unless that behaviour change is to lock you into a system that makes you vote liebore.

      Unemployed or feckless? Better vote liebore or the Tories will steal your benefits, but don't get a job either or Liebore will take them anyway.

      Public sector? Better vote liebore or the Tories will sack you or cut your pay. Plenty more work for diversity enforcement and bin monitoring.

      An immigrant (illegal or legal)? Better vote Liebore or the nasty Tories will send you back to your country of origin where you will be forced to get a job.

      And since the unemployed, immigrant and public sector now make up a huge proportion of the populations.

      Got a job and earn enough not to be entitled to anything? Well empty your pockets, drop your shorts and grab your ankles it's your job to pay for everything else. And just to make sure you cough up as much as possible the police will be set on you will the full force of the law applicable should you put paper in general waste, speed by 0.1mph anywhere with a straight bit of road, think anything not party policy or not vote Liebore.

      6 2
  4. D@v3
    WTF?

    10% on cider. Bastards!

    That is all.

    2 0
    1. Eponymous Cowherd
      Reply Icon

      Misguided chav busting

      I assume the cider tax hike is aimed at the cheap get-pissed-quick chav-fuel varieties.

      Trouble is, it whacks up the price of the good stuff as well, and that can be pretty expensive anyway.

      2 0
    2. DPWDC
      Reply Icon

      Dirty robbin' bastards!

      Magners / Bulmers 1935-2010

      2 0
  5. MJI Silver badge
    Badgers

    I love cider

    I hate the badger

    I am going to squash him

    1 0
  6. Ihre Papiere Bitte!!
    Thumb Down

    Checklist:

    *Congratulate Self on Sterling Job of Managing UK Economy: CHECK

    *Raise taxes above inflation on (booze, fags, fuel) "for our own good": CHECK

    *Say opposition is a bunch o'bastards and would be meaner: CHECK

    *Congratulate Self Again: CHECK

    5 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      I think that sums it up quite nicely.

      Haven't we had this budget before?

      1 0
  7. Glyn 2
    Grenade

    hmmm

    "From midnight tonight there will be no stamp duty on properties worth up to £250,000 for first time buyers, double the current threshold."

    How many people's firsrt house costs a quarter of a million?

    As for public transport as an alternative to cars, lad at work's just made a trip from Sale to Runcorn on bus. 45 mins in the car and it took him 3 hours and 4 buses.

    2 0
    1. Don Constance
      Reply Icon

      First time buyers

      Few 1st time buyers houses cost 250000 but that's the point of raising it to that level, lots of first properties will be in excess of 125000 in most parts of the uk, grim-oop-north excepted of course where you can still buy a house for the price of a packet of fags ;-)

      1 0
    2. Peter Kay
      Reply Icon

      *double the current threshold* i.e. over 125,000

      125,000 isn't that difficult to reach for a first time house. 250 grand is, I suspect, not that expensive in the South East.

      The 'lad at work' isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. The GMPTE website shows that the journey is possible in 01:30. Sale has had a metrolink stop for well over a decade, so it'll take longer to connect to the rail network. Buses will always be slower and more expensive than the train, so this is not really a surprise, is it?

      1 0
      1. Glyn 2
        Reply Icon

        in his defence

        He lives in carrington which is to the west of sale, but as noone knows where carrington is, I was using the nearest town which is 5 miles (I think) and the buses to sale are apparently much more infrequent than those to warrington which is farther away :-S

        0 0
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Unhappy

      a title

      In London a very modest 1 bed flat can cost more than that.

      1 0
  8. It'sa Mea... Mario
    WTF?

    Cider

    Makes me glad I just brought that home brew cider kit at the weekend...

    I normally drink Strong Organic cider that will probably be effected by the 'with further increases to come on high strength cider' (from BBC site) but it is nothing like the high alcohol, low price 'white' ciders drunk by street dwellers that are the most likely reason for this tax hike.

    Not impressed. Would rather they just banned shit cider - anything with 'white' or 'Lightning' in the title or anything allueding to either of them and, come to think of it blackthorn, strongbow, magners/bulmers/gaymers and other copy cats, etc - that way the pubs and bars might have to sell decent cider (some pubs been getting better at this lately).

    0 0
    1. MJI Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Ciders from cheap rubbish to nice stuff.

      There are a few levels of cider.

      Cheap rubbish.

      Mass produced fizz

      Decentish mass produced

      Decent bottled stuff

      Scrumpy

      I remember when Tauntons Dry Blackthorne was nice - now it is well - just sweet fizz, when I was young all the cider drinkers went for it. Now it is revolting.

      Scrumpy Jack on draught is quite nice as is Stowford Press, taken over the TDB market.

      Gaymers Somerset in bottles is quite nice, but I cleaned my local Tescos out of Henneys dry last night, special offer and pre ripoff tax uplift.

      As to Magners - is it relabeled Bulmers Original?

      Anyway a nice pint of decent cider for all my fellow cider lovers.

      1 0
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Public sector

    National pay bargaining awards for the public sector have been below inflation for the last 8 or 9 years; even during the good times for everyone else, the public sector were taking pay cuts and colleageus were being laid off. Don't worry, Darling, we're used to getting less for more. Just keep it up until our monthly pay is just enough for a loaf of bread.

    0 0
  10. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Headmaster

    @Glyn 2

    "From midnight tonight there will be no stamp duty on properties worth up to £250,000 for first time buyers, double the current threshold."

    That's up *to* £250k, which might well include 1st homes in some better off areas.

    43 days likely, 78days max. If its a Labor constituency vote for the runner up.

    0 0
    1. Kevin Dwyer
      Reply Icon
      Headmaster

      6th of May

      Local invigilator of many years ahas been "Advised"not to go on holiday around this date

      0 0
      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Reply Icon
        Thumb Up

        @Kevin Dwyer

        *provided* Mr Broone doesn't get another attack of the frosty footies and decided to hang on till the *very* last minute in the hope the British Economy gets a little bit better (inflation falls a smidgeon, GDP rises a tad, unemployment falls by a pubic hair).

        Alternatively by doing so he gives the whole lot of them the chance to implement more of their "Scorched earth" policy of accelerated ID card roll-outs, hardware procurement for IMP and installation of poison pill clauses in all major IT contracts.

        He's done it once, doing it again must be considered possible.

        0 0
        1. Kevin Dwyer
          Reply Icon
          Happy

          @John Smith 19

          Possible but unlikely, they need to be seen to still have control, the downside of waiting till the last possible date to hold an election would not play well.

          Anyway, Fiver to your nominated charity says May 6th :-)

          0 0
          1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
            Reply Icon
            Happy

            @Kevin Dwyer

            Oh I agree the odds on bet is May 6th. But he pulled back from the brink once before.

            Should he do so again any charity that supports birth control, clean water or sewerage systems in the 3rd world would be fine by me.

            0 0
  11. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Fuel

    The difference with fuel is that we're still drilling it out of the ground and one day it will run out or the balance of supply and demand will move such that the price will skyrocket. We're getting there already with China demanding so much more.

    If you want to do you bit then look at reducing your fuel usage with a more efficient car. Don't complain that you're not being allowed to burn off the world's natural resources at a vastly accelerated rate.

    You don't hear people moaning that they have been forced to insulate their house, you don't hear of people leaving all their windows open to let heat out then complain that gas is too expensive.

    Given the awful road conditions it seems pointless for anyone to want to do the rat race in huge powerful car. You may save a minute or two, annoy everyone with your aggressive driving and spend masses of cash on fuel and insurance.

    1 0
  12. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    First time buyers

    The only reason why the Government even needs to raise the stamp duty level to quarter of a million pounds for FIRST time buyers is because Gordon Brown is such a liar.

    Quote:

    "STABILITY will be central to our policy to help homeowners. And we must be PREPARED to TAKE the ACTION necessary to secure it"

    "I will NOT allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the recovery"

    "I have therefore decided it is right to take two measures aimed at stability in the housing market. The timing of my measure should help to avoid a return to the conditions of the 1980s where the FAILURE TO TAKE EARLY ACTION guaranteed WORSE PROBLEMS LATER on."

    - Gordon Brown 1997 (Budget Report)

    http://archive.treasury.gov.uk/pub/html/budget97/chxstat.html#hous

    Now, what was that about sub-prime again?

    0 0
    1. MJI Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Badgers

      Bring back Ken

      Gordon never did get his lessons in Chancelloring from Ken and it shows.

      The current one looks like.

      0 0
  13. Titus Aduxass
    FAIL

    In cider tax

    This feeble attempt to reduce how much cider people drink will hurt Bullermers, Gaymers, Woodpecker, etc

    Similar to pulling the plug on Longbridge to reduce car use. Or watching Kraft close Cadbury factories to reduce levels of obesity.

    I. Hate. This. Government.

    0 0
  14. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    FAIL

    I quite like badgers

    But I think the time has come for a culling.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like