So Gordon Brown tries to make himself look generous

[clumsymum]

By announcing a fall in the basic rate of income tax.

BUT
It isn't until 2008, AND he's doing away with the 10% starting band (so the result actually evens out).

He's raising the 40% threshold

BUT not until 2009

Weasel

Well it says I'm going to be about £300 better off, in spite of the 10% tax band going.

This is because it's offset by tax credits.

So, we are talking what? £25 per month. Is that really going to affect anyone's quality of life?

I'd say it's a bunch of hot air. I wonder how skinny Godon would be if we could deflate him?

pah! We're marginally better off - tax cuts mostly offset by being clobbered for our large car. Find me a vehicle that runs on a ladyshave battery and can transport four kids and a wheelchair user, Gordy, why don't you.

But it's still won't sway my vote because I think it would be fairly shameful for a middle income swing voting family like us to vote for a party that attempts a cheap bribe at the expense of those worse off than we are.

Just checked this, and we're meant to end up about 400pounds better off. That would go a long way in this household (as long as it actually happens )

To be fair the Tax Credit screw up is a Blairite thing not a Brown one.
The core defect in New Labour is not their policies which aren't actually all that different from the tories, nor intelligence since Brown is very smart, but the fact that their internal culture is "big picture". They simply don't "do" detail or actually getting things to work.
This is down to the way that NL evolved away from socialism. Since even now there are still socialists in the party, loyalty and being part of the leaders consensus is the key to success.
Getting things to work requires poeple to pick holes and say "great idea Tony, but we'll need an extra year to change the income tax computers".
It's worse for NL because it traditionally has had more people who've had "real jobs" than the tories. But now most of those are on the wrong side internally.
That's why the simply couldn't fix the CSA, which tax credits are a disaster and even simple things like making sure the number of flak jackets for troops in Iraq wa the same as the number we sent is simply beyond them.

Although the tories stuffed Quangoes with their people, they weren't as solid as Labour is now, and this again is made worse by the fact that half their own people aren't "helpful".
The tories won't be any better. In the same way that Labour adopted mostly tory polices to get power, the tories have abandoned even pretending they do anything other than spin.

Well actually, I will notice £25 a month.

Sums like this matter when you're on a low income. I used to think "pah, what use is that to anyone", but it really does make a difference. Anything over about fifteen to twenty pounds a month up or down is noticable for me.

so we are the only ones going to be worse off? by about £100, most on NI, a bit on fuel but we will be a whole £50 better off per year on CB!! whooppee!

Incidentally my IL's (pensioners) who have saved for their meagre pension and were paying the 10% tax rate will be worse off as they will have to go to the 20% band.

I don't understand why alot of it is not comming into action until 2010 - which will mean a whole set of goalposts for everyone anyway.

Caligula, oh we'll notice it, certainly, when it materializes. The tax rises seem to come in before the tax cuts do, so we'll actually be worse off for a time.