Am I the only one that thinks that the budget is good?!

[isitactuallybadthough]

NC’d for obvious reasons.

I mean it seems that they’re trying to help the working class?

I am not on benefits. I’m also not lucky enough to live in a property worth over £2,000,000. But surely the worst off in society will be better off under this? With the energy bill cut and two child benefit scrap? Also books for libraries, national wage increases. I do understand people feeling frustrated at the pension/ISA parts, that will probably affect DH and I but overall I’m pleased as the worst off will be slightly less worse off?

again it’s not as simple as day to day lives, which will be impacted. Business either can’t afford the nmw increase on top of the NI increase last year, or simply won’t replace people, unemployment is already rising and is likely to get worse

how will that help ?

How do you propose people save for their retirement? Or should everyone be reliant on the state a la Stalinist Russia?

Or….. you are going without other stuff to prioritise your retirement.

Have you seen the amount that’s needed in a private pension pot for a decent retirement? Especially compared to the public sector (and I speak as one currently working in the public sector which has been a real eye opener).

A good summary that I agree with.

I forgot about taxing property income. Sadly it will only hurt renters. Rent will increase and competition will increase because a lot of casual landlords will just sell up.

I agree OP. We’ll be a bit worse off, but we can afford it. I hate how selfish and entitled we have become as a country.

I don’t think you understand what the removal of the two child cap means. What rich families are receiving Universal Credit?

I have a problem with the way the 2 child cap has been removed, by wiping it out altogether in one sweep. There are something over 20,000 families whose income next year will rise by £14,000 (there are over half a million, the average rise will be over £5000.)

Poverty in this country is measured as relative poverty. That's not a million starving children, that's families struggling to make ends met compared with other families. A £14000 increase in one go is huge, and I would be happier to see it raised by one child every year or two and the amount saved by that given to the NHS meanwhile.

Up to you, centres are needed, so is money for kids

I’m with you OP. I’m a middle/high earner, lone parent of one child, pay a significant amount of tax, child benefit charge etc. - and actually feel like I’ve come out of this budget a) better than I expected and b) better than I probably should have done.

Im glad to see the two child cap scrapped, and would have been happy to pay a bit more tax if it had been needed to make it happen. Kids should never ever be the economic or political scapegoats for social and policy failures.

Why are you gutted about the ISA news? Surely if you are on a low income you aren't able to save more than £12000 a year into an ISA anyway so what difference will it make to you? If you are able to save more than £12000 a year then you aren't really what anyone would class as low income.

How is it fair that this Government is spending £3bn on boosting the incomes of around 560,000 families, by an average of £5,310 a year, through scrapping the two-child UC cap?

the 2 child benefit cap is only lifted if you work. So those not working still wont get anything extra. One if the issues is the wage is not liveable and 0 hour contracts .

Only because the tax rises have given her about £20 billion in headroom.

The markets don’t give a shit about whether the public are happy with the Budget.

It’s fair because those kids are the workers of the future and it does nobody any favours for them to grow up in poverty and privation.

Im pleased with budget

She will get a higher pension tho

Interesting that you see tax on the better off as a punishment on a par with people being punished with an inability to put food on the table.

10 millions people of working age on benefits and rising unemployment under Labour says otherwise.

People who are not responsible enough to manage their finances and have only the kids they can afford are not likely to raise workers of the future. The cycle of benefits dependency becomes more entrenched.

Paid for by workers today who aren't the recipients of benefits. Benefits are there as a safety net, not to prop up irresponsible parenting.

Same. We have the same workload, and are in a hiring freeze for any vacancies, have let all temporary staff go, and are going through a 6.5% of permanent staff redundancy process. A further 3.5% have been announced for January.

You can say many things, but this country desperately needs to increase the birth rate. TBH I'd give parents a much bigger tax break.

I think the double inflation rise in minimum wage for young people will result in even more youth unemployment, partly due to employers choosing more mature workers if it doesn't cost them much more, and partly because that now makes 25% or thereabouts increase in the space of just over one year, and that will force employers to reduce their workforce if they can't put their prices up.

I think the mileage tax for electric cars is inevitable but I'm concerned how much of the extra tax it's going to be lost administering the scheme and think it might just have been better to raise the road fund licence (even though we are a low mileage household and would lose by that).

Exactly, lots don’t choice long life conditions, cancers, leaving them unable to work.
My mid stage Parkinson’s I can’t prevent at 63, yes I claim and need to

I think you will be able to judge the success or failure of this budget in 3, 6 and 9 months time.

I’m pleased you’re optimistic about this budget, OP but I don’t feel the same. I think rents will go up, businesses will fold, people will lose their jobs and inflation will continue to rise which means huge COL issues for the ordinary workers. Meanwhile, more people will end up on benefits and the welfare bill will continue to sky rocket.

Come back in 3, 6 and then 9 months and let’s discuss the results of the budget at those points.

@isitactuallybadthough The issue is that she's taking money from the middle, rather than the wealthiest, in order to fund some really strange decisions.

Taking money from pensions in order to fund removal of the 2 child benefit cap is absolute insanity.