To ask what should have been in the budget?

[dollopofsauce]

All I've seen do far, from reading threads on here and watching CNN, is doom and gloom.

So what should Labour have done to swerve the hate? What would have been an acceptable way of raising money to help fund health, social care and education?

Genuine answers, please.

Of course. When people have more money, they spend more money. When we have a functioning NHS for example, all those people who can't work because they're waiting for treatment, can go back to work. That means that they're paying tax which contributes towards the economy.

Lifting people out of poverty means they have better prospects and have more of a chance at contributing towards society.

I have to admit I didn’t vote Labour but as a public sector worker with no investments or inheritance to speak of, claiming no benefits and with dc in state schools, I would class myself as firmly “squeezed middle” and my family haven’t been affected by too much in this budget which I suppose is the intention.

@username7891 , well I can see that in regard to lifting the two child cap but benefits are a huge strain on the economy and really if you can’t afford more than two children then it’s probably best not to have them. Your other suggestion which I don’t think you’ve addressed is ‘a proper wealth tax’ will you explain how this would work and how it would help grow the economy? Thanks

Increase tax on tobacco, vaping, shop bought alcohol and junk food.

Small increase to fuel duty.

Increase employers NI (as they have done)

I think the changes to the non-dom rules were a big own goal. I hear of many very wealthy people who left the country.

The length of time before the budget was also a huge mistake. It gave people lots of time to leave the country, or take or set up their businesses in a different jurisdiction.

She worked for a large financial services company and people there remember her being very liberal with her expenses and company money.

I'd like to see your evidence on of this as j call bullshit.

I do wish they had increased the tax threshold, the point at which you start to pay a higher rate as £50k isn't as high of an income as it used to be. And it is those "higher" rate tax payers that are more likely to spend in the economy so more money in pockets equals more spending.

But I recognise that's probably not a popular idea on MN as most of MN think people earning £50k are swimming in pools of cash.

However, I would also support everyone paying more NI across the board. Labour needed to admit that their manifesto couldn't meet the country's financial needs and so needed to break some promises. I'd respect them a lot more for that (and I'm an avid anti-labour voter).

Best thing they could do, not pay train drivers £70k a year. Such an absurd amount of money, when you consider what Police officers, firefighters and nurses earn.

I’d have slashed government/civil service departments before I raised any taxes/NI. An MP local to me had some foreign office ministerial post and spent months and months touring S American countries for meetings with his equivalent. It will have cost hundreds of thousands if not millions. Zero benefit to Uk taxpayers. I would stop everything non essential. It might only save tens of millions, but symbolically people will know that anything that is then spent is well spent.

local councils claiming bankruptcy have still been putting on drag queen story time and painting rainbow crossings.

there is so much inefficiency and waste. You have to throw so much money at the NHS to have any impact on services. I’d cancel every bloody diversity job in the NHS and civil service and local authorities. (NOT translation services which actually meet a need ). The NHS has one of the most diverse workforces in the world, there is no need.

if they’ve taken over without knowing the full financials then they’re not fit to be in power. I think it’s BS about this mysterious black hole.

I wanted to hear a bit more of a plan yesterday. When will we see improvements, even small ones. How & when are they going to produce more NHS appointments, open beds etc. What is their plan for the NHS other than chucking money at it (which won’t fix the long term prob) do they understand they need to overhaul it & stop all the millions of ££ that’s wasted etc

There just seems a whole lot of cash scattering & potential for more debt to me.

1p off a pint of draught is neither here nor there when patients are being turfed out of hospices.

Cancel the translators too! You can do that on your phone!!

I absolutely agree with you OP.

We need to properly fund health, social care and education, and there is no easy way to do this.

Obviously Labour's budget is not without problems, but any other option would have brought different problems. Or the other option would be to continue with austerity and accept non-functioning health, social care and education systems.

We own a small business and employ 12 people. We won't be able to afford to give decent payrises now or take on any extra staff with the new NI rates. I've worked hard and gone without to plough as much as I can into a private pension and have done since I was 18, now my savings are subject to inheritance tax and I think that is absolutely disgusting. I didn't vote Labour and never would.

@dollopofsauce , the OBR are not saying very complementary things in fact they have said that growth will be significantly down by the end of this government’s term. In addition they will not put their name to Ms Reeves fictional ‘black hole’. Oh and the markets have reacted negatively.

I agree but there is zero chance that Labour will do that.

They are too far down an ideological rabbit hole to ensure that tax payers money is appropriately spent.

Our local NHS trust put a rainbow zebra crossing in ffs. And no it wasn't charity funded before anyone asks. They were proud to show their ally ship to the trans community and thought it was a good use of taxpayers money. Never mind that the blind can't use it properly....

And have stricter means testing.

We gave ours to a relative who is just over the limit and no more…

• A proper wealth tax
• Tax big corporates on profits generated in this country e.g. don’t allow IP to be held off shore etc
• Increase taxes gambling, cigarettes and alcohol
• increase stamp duty thresholds but really ramp up tax at the higher rates e.g. above £10m
• incentivise farmers
• increase IHT (but exempt commercial farms)
• accept the NHS is over - move to hybrid private/public model
• prohibitive taxes on companies and individuals who earn more than 10x what their lowest paid employees earn

Pension is surely meant to fund retirement though rather than a covert way of passing money down tax free or you would have saved as well savings not pension ?

I agree with the pension change and see that as much fairer than reducing or scrapping the 25% tax free withdrawal.

Your pension is only subject to inheritance tax if you don’t use all of it to provide you with an income when you retire, or you don’t leave it to your spouse, civil partner, or charity. Pensions were never intended to be a way of passing “savings” on to the next generation, so I completely agree with the government on this one (and am also not a Labour voter)

Tbh I think it was a decent budget in tricky circumstances - not perfect but good and a step in the right direction.

The trouble is everyone wants public services back to a good standard but no one was going to vote for a party - any party- that said "we are going to tax you more". As much as we have poor quality politicians in this country we do also have an electorate which seems confused about what they want and what they are willing to compromise on as well.

Hospice funding

I wanted to hear more ideas about growth, its growing the economy that's important. I don't think the budget has helped small businesses or wealth creators. I worry that employers will have to cut hours or lose staff to offset the increases in wages/NI. I didnt see specific detail on investment on infrastructure either. Tbh I felt it all a bit lack lustre, except for the farmers, who have been totally shafted. Modern farms are all valued over 1 Million today except for hobbyists.

It's not specifically about having more than two children, although we all know that people divorce or are widowed or abandoned and that can drastically change their financial circumstances. Women and children are disproportionately effected by the benefit cuts.

It's about children living in absolute poverty. When children don't get enough to eat, they don't thrive and that curtails their future prospects. In purely financial terms, they won't do as well as they could educationally and therefore financially.

Poverty means children don't thrive and may rely on benefits when older or develop illnesses which makes them reliant on public services. Child poverty has a knock on effect.

There are several suggested ways of taxing the very wealthy. It's believed that higher wealth taxation could help solve low productivity growth, failing public services and wage stagnation. It could enable investment in essential public services and help to improve economic dynamism and growth.We need serious investment in public services and industry.

Suggestions include:

Apply a 1-2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, raising up to £22 billion a year.

Equalise capital gains with income tax rates, raising up to £ 15.2 billion a year.

Apply national insurance to investment income, raising up to £8.6 billion a year.

End the inheritance tax loopholes that benefit the already wealthy, raising up to £1.4 billion a year.

Reform the rules on non-dom status, raising up to £3.2 billion a year.

Introduce a 4% tax on share buybacks, raising approximately £2 billion a year.

@username7891 , I don’t know who believes that and I would be interested for an example of where such taxes have had a positive impact.

Could you let me know what you're referring to please. Who believes what?