Earlier this week, Chancellor Alistair Darling announced the 2008 Budget.
Below we bring you what we think will be the five best and worst changes for you, the consumer:
Five of the best...
- Energy companies should spend £150m on social tariffs
- Increase in winter fuel payment to £250 for the over-60s and to £400 for the over-80s
- “Savings Gateway” will be launched by the government in 2010
- New Cash ISA tax-free savings allowance confirmed to be £3600 from April 5 2008 (the increase could have been a lot higher and so a change which ordinarily would have taken position 1 gets demoted to position 4)
- £26m to go towards making homes greener
Five of the worst...
- Increase in green tax charged on flights
- 2p increase in fuel duty (but postponed until October 2008 – so instead of being in position 1, this change is in position 2 because it isn’t as bad with the six month delay)
- 55p on a bottle of spirits
- 14p on a bottle of wine
- 4p added on a pint of beer
We’d love to hear your views on how the changes announced in the 2008 Budget will affect you, so please click on ‘Add comment’ to have your say.
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Comments...
14 Mar 08
11:47 AM
He is trying to punish binge drinkers by putting the prices up on alcohol but forgets that he is also punishing sensible drinkers who don't go out every Friday night just to get drunk and beat people up!
As for changes to savings... well he could have put the ISA allowance up a bit more so that it was actually in line with inflation and earnings!
At least he's done something good by helping the millions living in fuel poverty.
14 Mar 08
12:10 PM
14 Mar 08
12:13 PM
The other irritant is how councils tend to 'sell' the fact that they've "only" put the council tax up by a small amount this year. What about the colossal increases we've had year on year! Controversial I know but I think the poll tax was a whole lot fairer.
14 Mar 08
12:19 PM
If the Top Gear team can ride across Africa in a car then why do people insist they need a 4x4 to drive through town?! I'm glad they are gonna pay the price for their unecessarily big cars.
14 Mar 08
02:01 PM
14 Mar 08
03:53 PM
Is there anyway that normal tax payers - like myself - can do something about these inflationary prices? It seems to me that it doesn't matter how you vote, each subsequent government will push up prices.
When do we get to vote for how much we are prepared to pay? Rather than the council determining what we need and then charging us, why don't they ask us what we want and then cost up what we will get for our increases? - business do it.
A simple survey would be enough and an easy way to feel involved as a tax payer.
18 Mar 08
11:56 AM
26 Mar 08
01:08 PM
Don’t get me wrong but I think it’s great the government are investing in the greener issues, we are looking after the older generation and the ISA limit has increase, where saving has become increasingly important for me at this stage of my life. However my biggest moan is the increasing rise in petrol prices. I normally just fill my tank up - a year ago it would cost me about £30 to fill up my Peugeot 106 and now it costs about £42.
The increase in prices does not encourage me to get public transport for leisure purposes. Trains are still too expensive, even with the advance deals I think are dear and just not practical for families. Buses and cycling are not always the best modes of getting from one place to another.
Back to the point however, why do the government increase the prices of things I love and what the majority of my peers also enjoy doing?