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?

@Budgetusername so have I, I have been on my arse many times in the past. And I have the utmost respect for those who have and have made it through! However I’ve managed to do it without any help from the government. It was hard but I did it. I manage to get a minimum wage job stacking shelves to make ends meet whilst I was training at university, despite being in a shit ton of debt. I’m now fully qualified after many years of training and working, without any handouts. Plus I have kids. So forgive me for thinking it’s possible! And doing it on my own. When many chose to freeload. Whether they are from this country or not. This isn’t about racism (as your last post suggested). This is about the country needing to pull through themselves with hard work! and many do not.
i am all for helping those who are truly in need, however i genuinely feel like a lot of our tax payers money goes towards those who are not in need. And that’s not ok

I don’t understand why your mum’s tax will jump from £55 to £130 per month. £55 a month tax would mean the total taxable amount is £3300, but £130 a month tax would mean the total taxable amount is £7800. The personal tax allowance is £12,570 so this means your mum’s yearly income would be £20,370?

Please don’t think i am calling you a rascist I am not. And i do understand. I wish you all the best xx

I think increasing minimum wages will increase inflation because businesses will pass on cost increases. I think increasing minimum wage for under 21's by 12 percent will restrict employment opportunities for them because businesses can't afford to pay higher wages after last years NIC increases. I think Labour have given up on trying to gain the votes of workers so have added another £30 billion of taxes to the £40 billion she added last year and mostly it's being thrown at people on benefits and immigrants who Labour obviously think will vote for them. Reminds me of Gordon Brown putting huge numbers of people on to claiming benefits so they become dependent on them then have to vote Labour to avoid losing them. Nothing in this budget to stimulate growth for businesses and nothing to curb the benefits bill. Instead plenty to increase inflation, increase unemployment and increase the ballooning benefits bill. I am expecting more bad news at the Spring Statement tbh. I am so sick of thresholds of workers never rising to cover inflation but unemployed get above inflation increases. This is honestly encouraging people not work. I did agree with stopping Motability offering BMW's and other expensive cars. There are still so many disabled people can choose from.

I agree, I was really busy at work and just catching up now - I did one of the calculators, and I'll have to pay a bit more for a bottle of wine, that's it! I started playing around with differnt incomes, but still just pennies on a glass of wine.

And more for the disadvantaged, I'm really confused why this is supposed to be an awful budget - more for those with less, higher duty on things that aren't necessities but aren't good or us or the planet.

down the bog

I Agree. The budget is a fair one even though as a micro business I will be affected, I'm supportive of it.

The government do need to move those who can work and are on benefits into roles that contribute to our society though - not proper jobs, but actually using their time to cover the cost of the benefit.

They have been criticised endlessly, in the press and by other parties, for not lifting the 2 child benefit cap. Now they have lifted it they are being criticised for doing so. One would think that the voices complaining now would have been supportive whilst they were refusing to lift it - but that wasn't the case was it? For the record, I didn't particularly want it lifting - I think that there are other priorities - but the reaction to this budget has convinced me that whatever the government had done it would have been wrong. There are some nasty, self- centred people in this country.

Aren't you affected by the tax thresholds being frozen until 2031, you say you have been to work or do you earn way under the threshold.

Surely for family farms, the spousal transfer concession does represent a marked improvement? It essentially doubles the tax free threshold from 1m to 2m.

When you say "All she had to do was increase the minimum value to a more reasonable number", what did you have in mind?

Some of the things in the budget that may be better like the customs duty thing which will maybe curb all the cheap Chinese tat people order didn't seem to be coming in for years, 2029 being mentioned, why so long. I can understand, mansion tax and EV mileage taking longer to sort out but surely they could do the customs thing quicker.

I think we are going to end up in a horrible financial crisis tbh.

Interesting take, that you’re frustrated at the responsible parent who stayed, and not the feckless one who isn’t supporting their own kids.

If child support laws were better enforced, and non payment was criminalised, you could count maintenance towards income for universal credit and significantly reduce the universal credit bill.

It was good for those on handouts. Terrible for those that aren't. Can't believe she scrapped the child benefit cap. The country is in decline. She should be cutting the welfare bill not adding to it. The country is 3 trillion in debt!

Does she have a mortgage?

Why is she taxed when state pension is £11973 and her private pension income is £27 making a total of £12K? Personal allowance is £12570 at the moment.

I’m not on much more than that (working) but don’t have a mortgage or rent and drive and old car. It’s tight but I’m certainly not living in poverty and even manage to save a bit each month. Plus no fuel allowance, free prescriptions or bus pass.

I wonder if it’s because of interest income? If the OPs mother is living on the state pension, a small private pension and a reasonable chunk of interest income then maybe there’s a point at which the annual allowance for lower rate taxpayers tapers such that the 2% surcharge (or 10% increase) on interest income announced in the budget more than doubles the tax paid for this person? It seems unlikely, but I can’t be bothered to work it out.

What I will say is that a budget that for many people taxes savings and pensions more, reduces the education budget and SEN provision, increases welfare costs and does nothing for health, housing, employment or investment is not going to deliver the growth that will make the country or anyone better off. It vindicates my decision, not taken lightly, to leave the UK.

@ProcrastinatorsAnonymous

This budget is doing nothing for those you mention, the teachers, NHS staff, firefighters etc - just taxing them more.

Very naive thread.
You are better off if you are on UC and have multiple children.

Otherwise, you are generally worse off. Whilst it maybe affordable on an individual level for some, it generally means people will have less disposable income, which generally means less spending in the economy and therefore, businesses/economy will struggle, employment will fall and tax coming back to the state through these sources will fall.

This makes no sense as basic state pension plus say £7 a week is currently below the tax threshold.

Who is going to vote for Labour next time? I would say those who gain most from their policies are the least likely to vote at all

I think it's the old state pension as she is 81 which is the one my dad had and there were lots of extras on it, SERPs and stuff like that, there was a list of about 5 different additions iirc when he died so it was quite high but the tax on this isn't making much sense even allowing for this.

Redriver, in case she's not aware, your nan may be entitled to council tax support if on a low income and modest savings. You can do a quick check on an online benefit calculator like the Age UK one

It’s about time we invested building more state retirement homes (and nurseries). A lot of the profit is currently siphoned off to offshore companies.
https://www.chpi.org.uk/blog/the-hidden-profits-behind-collapsing-care-homes

It's not me, I just replied, it's @LemaxObsessive , thanks It is difficult to tell who is the original poster on threads sometimes.