Apart from Tax Credits/Child Benefit cuts what are expecting tomorrow?

scary - oh I agree with that one, fat too many Wg Cdrs sitting on their arses in RAF

I don't think it would scaryteacher tbh. If there was a clear threashold which was the same limit as CTC then it could all be administered together.

It will cost more to means test CB than it does to administer it at present.

EMA is divisive and badly thought out and should go.

Saltire; I understand that the RAF have too many Wing Cdrs and that a cull would not go amiss?

CB being paid until a child is 20 is silly tbh, they need an earlier cut off point.

At 16 I was working PT while studying A levels and had to pay keep out of my wages, so was daft that my parents were still recieving CB.

They should also

Cut EMA

Cut the Health in pregnancy grant

Cut CTC to anyone earning over 30k - but I think they should try to keep the childcare element as stopping it will force many out of work (women in particular) which won't help the economy.

Raise the tax on ciggs through the roof, I am en ex smoker but think smoking is nothing but a burden to the NHS so tax it like it deserves

Means test CB and esp. the winter fuel payment

And I have a vague idea of taxing the rich, but not being rich I'm not clear on what loopholes need closing etc so leave that to someone more informed!

My predictions:

Changes to tax and NI, raise the personal tax allowance but increase NI take

Cut Tax Credits to those with an income of approx £30 K PA

No change to Child Benefit until after the Review

Increases in VAT

Increased duty on wine (and perhaps a jokey reduction on cider?? - supporting British industry)

scary - I feel the same about the RAF to be honest. When i said they won't cut the Navy, I meant that they won't cut it completely, like I suggested they might do with the RAF.

Saltire, the RN not being cut will not be due to it being the oldest service, but the smallest. I really don't see where any more cuts can come.

Well... there actually is minimum pricing but it's council-run rather than consistent country wide, which is a shame.

There's no seriously bad consequence here to being publicly very drunk and even to being violent or engaging in criminal behaviour whilst drunk.

This leads to a lot of problems for people, particularly at weekends in town centres, with some becoming virtual no-go zones.

It's also becoming more and more deadly.

19 murders in the past 10 weeks in the Strathclyde police district. And 15 of those were at or near alcohol-fueled house parties.

Agree expat....I like a glass of wine myself, but worried about teenagers and alcohol. I have a 17 year old DC from what he says some of his friends already have serious problems. Drink is too cheap and they all have false ID so can easily get hold of it.

Yes, I am in Scotland, and I realise these things are illegal in Scotland.

Well, there's no minimum pricing.

But think reform needs to be UK-wide.

This place has a very serious drink problem.

Expat - are you in Scotland?

The licensing reform came in on September 1st last year. The things you mentioned (bar the advertising pre-watershed) are now illegal already (Licensing Scotland Act 2005).

What is really rubbish is that they go on income without looking at dependents etc - so a single person earning, say 30k, is treated the same as a family of 6 with a household income of 30k (as far as means testing goes), despite the standard of living being vastly different.

Actually, I think they need some serious reform wrt alcohol sales in addition to duty increase - minimum pricing, an end to 24-hour licensing, full ban on advertising before the watershed, etc.

Yes I think eventually they will cut child benefit for 37,000 and above. just a total guess, but don't think that will be till next year at the earliest.

'"So, given that I earn less than £20k, I'll not be affected?"'

I don't think you will be affected now but think the Cons and Libs both dislike tax credits and so may dismantle them within a few years.

They should up cost of cigs and alcohol.
Stop all but the poorest over 60s getting cold weather payment, and free bus travel.

They will probably stop child trust funds & EMA for post 16s.

If they're going to put VAT up they should up it to 20%.

End to CB for all. Several families I know claimed it. Banked it for 18 years and then gave it to DC for their first car or to blow in their firts year at university. Those families didn't need it.

Also full council tax on second homes.....Infact find a way to tax holiday/second home owners more.

Not bothered about price increases on things I choose to buy/not buy.

I am only concerned about my incomings. My outgoings, I control.

"So, given that I earn less than £20k, I'll not be affected?"

It's unlikely you'll be affected by CTC changes. But if you buy fuel or cigarettes or anything that attracts VAT then you'll be affected in other ways.

I am a smoker, and trying to cut down and stop. The best thing for me would be a HUGE increase in the cost of fags and tobacco. I would LOVE to be able to go "no, i cant afford it" and the only way that will happen is if the prices go up by at LEAST 10p a pack. I pay just under £5 for a pack now, and I always said over £5 would mean NO MORE.

Alcohol - I dont drink, bar the odd malibu and coke once a month if im lucky, so they could easily hike up the price of alcohol too.

Fuel is the one thing I would rather they brought down rather than up, but I cant see it happening. We live in the Scottish Highlands and pay £1.24 a litre at the moment..... its madness as it is a 50mile round trip to the nearest homebase/tesco extra/argos etc

They could treble the tax on fags/alcohol and I wouldn't care.

There's a direct link between cost and uptake of smoking at a young age.

If fags had been 50p each instead of 5p each when I was 15/16 no one of my generation would have bothered taking it up

So, given that I earn less than £20k, I'll not be affected?

I think they will cut the family elemet of TC straight away and phase out the other elements (childcare/child) for those over £25-30K over 5 years and maybe even change the Tc system. (surely even they can see that people can't just loose hundreds a month). I did read somewhere that things will be phased out not just stopped (but wouldn't suprise me if they did).

VAT definately will rise, maybe not to 20% though.

Fuel, fags, alcohol all up quite abit.

I don't think they will cut child benefit, heard Nick clegg has ruled that out along with another MP.

Income tax threshold up by £200.