So it's Budget day

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If you were the Chancellor, what would be in your budget?

Remove corporation tax for small businesses - under 5 employees.

Decrease university funding so degrees mean something again.

Decrease stamp duty in greater London. People's salaries aren't that much higher but property is horrifically expenses. Commuting costs too much and petrol is expensive. The greater majority who get clobered by taxes have little disposable income in Greater London due to high cost of living.

Reign in the public sector who spend money in such an insane unacountable fashion. (I can qualify this with actual examples until they come out of my ears) If the private sector operated in the same way heaps of people would get fired.

Scrap the baby bond

Cut back on some benefits so that it is NOT possible to have more money through sitting on your backside than having a job.

Increase alcohol and cigarette duty.

Cut back on University funding for mickey mouse courses. 50% of people do not need to go to Uni.

Not really budget related but I would also insist that any 16-19yo not in education or employment should either have to do voluntary work or a form of National Service.

Put treadmills in prisons and hook them up to generators. Make prisoners do 12 hour shifts on them every day of the week - hey presto free electricity!

thecrackfox but you cannot get 110% of anything 100% that is the whole deal!

They can pay 10% extra then.

"thecrackfox but you cannot get 110% of anything 100% that is the whole deal!"

I presume that what is meant is that people who own a second home pay 110% of the Council Tax that anyone else would.

So if Council Tax for a property is normally £100 a month then second home owners would pay £110.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at hooking prisoners up to generators!

sorry i was being picky their wasn't i?

i would just chuck my trusty red briefcase to the banks and tell them to help themselves to whatever is left, seeing as they have taken so much from us already.

there.

Simplify and save fortunes.

Everybody pays 20% tax on all earned income.

No other taxes on anything at all.

scrap stamp duty - no logic to the tax, highly distorts the housing market and pushes up prices by decreasing supply

Alousideg - agree if that gives enough tax revenue, a flat rate tax is great but I thought it would have to be alot higher, unacceptably (minds of the politicians) higher 50-60% mark if no other taxes

2nd homes and BTL's need to be taxed to high heaven to give young families a chance of security and investing in their future but as Tony Blair is the BTL pioneer I doubt that'll happen.

hahaimawitch- I completley agree re the public sector

milly - so you tax the BTL's - and what happens to the rent of us poor sods living in them?

Nothing they go bankrupt and you can afford to buy a house/flat yourself for 3 times a normal salary, back ye olden days of 1996 I bought a 3 bedroomed house whilst working in Frankie and Benny's as a waitress whilst studying.
Rents were high relatively speaking but renting was something you did whilst you saved a deposit.

oh - right and can you tell me who is going to give me a mortgage when I'm on benefits?

Or where I would live while the council was trying to find a 3 bedroom home for me to live in?

But what would you do with people that cant get mortgages - No one is lending!

I'm not going to pick on you because I know you've had a crap year I wouldn't wish on anybody but the we need to get back to a time where people stand on their own feet and benefits/council aren't the first thing that pop into your head when discussing your families housing needs.
I hate to say it but anyone depending on the state for anything at all is going to find the next years tough who ever is in power we've simply run out of money and inflation is already well under way.

in addition to some things mentioned here. i would make child benefit means tested. its ridic that someone earning a not extortionate amount of 30k a year is entitled to this.

millymolly - most people with BTLs wouldn't have them if there were better alternatives to pension provision - we wouldn't.

I would remove the rates discount on single people living alone to encourage better use of housing - why should 1 person in a 5 bed house get a discount

you don't need to tax LL to ensure housing needs are met, you need to build more houses.

Houses more important than greenbelt IMO -

m parents couldn't have afforded to buy a house in 1996, not even on my dad's (fairly) decent wage.

You can buy a 1/2 bedroom flat/house round here for 60-80k

But if you're already have a family then yo're not looking at "first time buyer" properties.

Actually can get a 3 bedroom mid terrace (victorian ones - they're quite nice) for around similar price having had a look on right move.

custardo - if you live in the south 30k is peanuts. people must struggle to survive on that - we would

Either would be fine Custardo but whilst the people who want property prices protected, many of whom are LL's it's a catch 22.
Again I agree dreaming of the sun, it's hardly an effortless occupation.
But it does have a massive social impact.

i live in the south - and i agree its not a lot relatively, but its quite a lot non the less - but its enough IMO - its hardly minimum wage - far far far from it.

am bowing out of the thread, not in the right state of mind to be getting into debates.