Hello
As lots of you will know, at 3.30pm today the Chancellor Philip 'Spreadsheet' Hammond will be presenting the government's budget to the House of Commons.*
MNHQ sometimes gets asked for comment from journalists on budget measures that affect families, so we thought this year we'd start a dedicated thread for you to let us know what you think as the nation gets its calculators out.
Some stories/guesses/leaks that have been heavily trailed in the weekend newspapers and this morning:
There's speculation that 'better-than-expected tax returns have given Hammond a £13bn windfall, reducing the need for the substantial tax increases' - but Hammond has stressed that 'the measures being announced would be contingent on the government securing a Brexit deal... in the event of there being no deal, he would have to return to parliament with an emergency budget setting out an alternative economic strategy for the UK' (The Guardian)
£2bn for the mental health crisis among children and young people by 2023-24, with headlines talking about 'a mental health unit in every school and hospital' (The Times, £; The Guardian)
A special Brexit 50p coin (The Sun)
Extra money for road and pot hole repairs, and a continued freeze on fuel duty (New Statesman)
An increase in the personal allowance to £12.5k, and an increase in the threshold for top-rate tax to £50k p/a (BBC)
A £650m 'Future High Streets' fund to 'help retailers adapt' as Brits take their shopping custom online, combined with a £900m cut to 'business rates for independent retailers' and a new tax for 'internet giants' (Daily Mail)
A possibility that there will be 'extra cash to ease the transition to Universal Credit when its rolls out nationally from next year' (The Independent)
Please do add any other stories you've seen, let us have your thoughts on the rumours so far, and (if you feel comfortable doing so) tell us how this will affect the people and things you care about.
Thanks
MNHQ
*'Spreadsheet' is Mr Hammond's nickname among his colleagues, apparently