Chancellor’s spring statement

[Cheesecakeandwineinasuitcase]

AIBU to think that today we are about to be hugely disappointed by what Rishi says in his spring statement and just to realise just how out of touch he is with the grim reality that normal people (I.e. not millionaire politicians) in the Uk face?

My prediction is that he won’t back down on the 1.25% increase in NI contributions that he is making people pay from April. There will be a paltry reduction in fuel duty (maybe a few pence if we are lucky - but that will easily be cancelled out within a few days as prices increase to compensate). Maybe he will reduce the duty on champagne this time or some other gimmicky sweetener (wasn’t it Prosecco last time?). He might raise the threshold from which people have to start paying tax but for most working families that won’t make a jot of difference.

So it feels like we are sitting ducks and that as time goes by more and more people end up really struggling.

Ah my mistake jcyclops - that’s slightly reassuring. I feel sorry for Sweden and Finland though.

OP, indeed.

@Dinorawr22

He's not even listening to the shadow chancellor!

At last, someone sticking up for him.

5p? wtf is that gong to do

Regarding the Rishi spending a week on benefits or equivalent, several Conservative MPs have done this for publicity. It doesn't bring out the grinding hopelessness I see in some of my patients that things won't get better, nor how to pay when appliances need to be replaced nor anything else. It would take losing the accumulated wealth and having no prospects. MPs getting a £2,200+ plus pay rise plus all the additions to the other revenue streams they and their families can accrue plus outside earnings.

The Government is not a charity. It is not there to bail out individuals. It has to pay for the things the electorate says it wants - like the NHS. If we had a proper, insurance-based health service, the Government could be more flexible.

People in the US die because they don’t have adequate health insurance HBH.

I posted this on another thread. It is my reaction to watching this debacle.
If Sunak really believes the shit he is coming out with he's thicker than shit.
5p a litre of fuel when it's jumped 40p+ in a month. That's going straight into the oil companies pockets.
The raise in basic tax allowance is a drop in the ocean compared to the rocketing costs of living.
So far he's taking the piss!
He's living in cloud cuckoo land. What a pile of shit.

It was woeful all round , but they will just blame the war and covid for everything and I bet this tax cut in 2024 won't happen either.
That was just thrown in as a sweetener.
5p off fuel , it will be made up elsewhere and why are the oil companies not being shafted for taxes as they are in France ? They are loving the extra profits and we still pay 5 percent vat on it too.

@Pripkesses

So if the NI threshold is now going to be above my earnings does this mean I won't get credits any more?

I'm also worried about this

Can someone explain to me like I am a 5 year old what is actually happening with the NI increase for workers my head is picked with it

@Cheesecakeandwineinasuitcase

People in the US die because they don’t have adequate health insurance HBH.

Why do people always trot out the US system? What about the systems in the dozens of other developed countries who have insurance based systems?

@Pripkesses

So if the NI threshold is now going to be above my earnings does this mean I won't get credits any more?

No it doesn't.

@Morph22010 posted this earlier

They on on about raising the primary threshold which is the point at which you start paying ni. As long as you have earnings above the lower earning limit you still get ni credit for state pension purposes. There is a band in between lel and pt where you pay no ni but get ni credit as though you had. The reports of raising the ni threshold leaked so far they are saying a rise in primary threshold but leave the lower earnings limit as it is. Plus anyone in receipt of child benefit gets state pension credit anyway so it won’t effect stay at home mothers/ fathers

HTH

@James44

The money has to come from somewhere to pay for Furlough and NHS overtime. Amongst other claims on our money. Neutral Question: Have there been proposals from other parties on a way forward? I don't recall seeing any real ideas.

I would like to know too what other parties would do.

Why do people always trot out the US system? What about the systems in the dozens of other developed countries who have insurance based systems?

Don’t many of those governments in countries with insurance based systems also pay more or a greater % of GDP for their healthcare systems than the U.K. pays for the NHS? Or at least that was the issue in the past.

Of course sunak knows he's penalising the poor he's not stupid he's a Tory and they have never cared about the poor

@RafaIstheKingofClay

Why do people always trot out the US system? What about the systems in the dozens of other developed countries who have insurance based systems?

Don’t many of those governments in countries with insurance based systems also pay more or a greater % of GDP for their healthcare systems than the U.K. pays for the NHS? Or at least that was the issue in the past.

Indeed.

We can't have scandinavian type services and pay US type taxes, it doesn't add up.

We all have home energy bills, and it's not easy to reduce them. We don't all drive cars, and it is not too difficult to reduce fuel consumption or number of journeys.

So I would have preferred no VAT on domestic energy bills or a fixed rebate.

@Unhomme

Maybe you could take in some ironing?

I'm surprised you didn't suggest the workhouse returns. Lack of empathy for others isn't nice.

He should have targeted energy costs rather than petrol. Not everyone has a car, particularly the very poorest in society. There was a story in the news today about people not being able to afford to boil potatoes ffs.

@MrJollyLivesNextDoor

Look at the state of Boris

He's like a puffy slug

🤣🤣🤣

@James44

The money has to come from somewhere to pay for Furlough and NHS overtime. Amongst other claims on our money. Neutral Question: Have there been proposals from other parties on a way forward? I don't recall seeing any real ideas.

NHS OVERTIME???? 😂😂😂😂😂😂

@HelloSpringIveMissedYou

They're bloody useless and I can see no viable alternative, so frustrating.

I believe they should renationalise all the gas and electric, we should all be on the same tariff none of this scrabbling about to get on a fix, no more prepayments being more expensive and no more companies taking the piss and earning a fortune.

With regard to fuel another piss take, about 80p is tax, where we live there's no bus service, well there is but there's a bus every 2 hours!

Rishi needs a week long channel 5 rich house poor house, house swap might wake him up.

He house swaps plenty. He has 12 different homes. 🙄🙄🙄

@GoodWillRising

tbh I was shocked to find out that Rishi Sunak is in charge of government finances whilst holding a multi-million pound property portfolio. Biased, much?

How can this even be allowed?

I did not know that, but I didn’t get the impression that landlords were given an easy ride lately.

It’s a good general point. There is so much self interest in government. Who should be allowed to do it, when many of the current lot have literally no clue at all what it is to live in a typical family budget? How could average people be better represented in policy making?

@balalake

We all have home energy bills, and it's not easy to reduce them. We don't all drive cars, and it is not too difficult to reduce fuel consumption or number of journeys.

So I would have preferred no VAT on domestic energy bills or a fixed rebate.

We may not all drive cars, but we all benefit from vehicular transport, i.e. buses and taxis, plus everything we buy will have been transported by road at multiple stages in the delivery chain. Hopefully by reducing fuel tax, it will help to stop prices of everything rising by quite so much.