After a long wait. The Autumn Budget is finally here!!! 💰

[Cosywintervibes]

https://news.sky.com/story/budget-2025-raft-of-tax-hikes-expected-today-as-more-policies-confirmed-13475413

Anyone like to join me in watching the budget today?

I hope you haven't supported RRs claim that she victim of misogyny, what with using the words you've just used!

There are some rascist undertones to your comment ie "angry black woman" trope. To clarify that "stereotype has its roots in white supremacy and the need to justify the exploitation and dehumanization of Black women during and after slavery. It is an offshoot of the "Sapphire" caricature, which depicted Black women as malicious, stubborn, loud, and emasculating".

Just so you are aware.

Yeah…this. I am shocked at all the racist undertones coming towards Kemi. I am not surprised as Labour voters on here were also racist to Sunak. Labour have never had very diverse leadership have they? The way Kemi is spoken about on here definitely has racist undertones.

They are identity obsessed. Good way of avoiding all the valid points being made.

Yes it's constant poverty porn ie BP didn't have a coat, Starmers parents couldn't afford bills etc. Of course it's all bullshit and it's worse that they think we can't see through it.

You are being ridiculous and silly. You are the only one who mentioned KB's colour of skin. Does this make you racist (or just a rabble rouser)?

The PP wrote about a black woman "shouty crazy Tory woman" I'm sorry you don't like it but that 100% has rascist undertones.
You can disagree all you want but fundamentally it is rascist. Same sort of rascism as Sunak + his wife were subjected to.
The irony is that the supposed "tolerant" left are the ones which have so much trouble with misogyny, racism and anti-semitism

I read something that said if you earned £120k and sacrificed £20k, then it would cost you £360 a year which isn’t too bad in itself but where you really lose out is if if your employer passes the NI saving to you. Mine does and that is about £2.7K so it means my pension contributions would be worth £3k less a year. I have about 10 years until retirement so that would mean approx £30k over the duration plus all the potential missed growth. Only saving grace is that it’s not coming in until 2029.

I hate anything that affects the long term, people have been planning pensions to meet their future needs and something seemingly minor can actually have a large impact .

On the pension issue - this will impact the younger workers who are constantly being told that they must maximise their pension savings because the state pension will not support them in retirement. One of my DC, late 20’s, does make salary sacrifice at the moment to put more in their pension. Whilst it may be only a few hundred pounds impact, it’s the message that’s all wrong here

Not a wise decision in hindsight, but I thought I'd be retiring with my DH very healthy pension. That's not the case, as he's now an ex and I didn't take any of his pension pot. I'm 50 and frantically trying to accumulate some pension. I'm not a high earner, in fact I'm limited to my salary sacrifice amount because it can't take me below minimum wage. The £2k limit is catching folk like me who are just trying to save a bit for their future. Ditto isa's. At my age I wouldn't want to be forced into £8k stocks and shares ISAs if my wage goes up and I can ever afford the full £20k. So I would be put off gambling that £8k, so it wouldn't get put away.

It's ok though because all of the current children will be tax paying contributors to the state and there will be a significant reduction in waste of tax payers money and the benefits bill so you'll get a healthy pension from the state....
The pension change is a kick in the teeth for individuals who are being financially responsible for their future and trying to save for their retirement. It's almost as if the government are making short term decisions to appease the back benchers and protect their positions rather than think of the longer term position.
And no I do not believe that benefits are a bad thing but it cannot keep increasing at the rate it is, no matter how much we believe it should.

I do worry that the more we repeat the message ‘we won’t get a state pension’ it will become true. We should repeat and be clear that we should and expect a state pension and that’s what we are contributing for. Political parties will make policies based on what people will accept, so we are digging our own graves.

I am a basic rate taxpayer. Looking at my future earnings on my banding scale at work, an online calculator is saying that the freezing of the higher tax rate will fiscally drag me in, to the tune of £803/year.

My work HR website confirms that I have a salary sacrifice pension. (According to PPs, this apparently makes me a tax dodging, rich greedy bastard. According to my work pension’s online calculator, my current pension trajectory is dismal, and I’m not sure how I’m going to make ends meet after I retire, but that’s another story.) The online calculator is saying that this policy will cost me £474/year.

EV per mile taxes will cost me about £400/year, as I live rurally.

£1677 is my loss, I am a basic tax rate payer, and right in the “sweet spot” of where Labour are hitting the hardest.

I repeat: the “Things Can Only Get Better” anthem played by a bystander at the gates of Downing Street absolutely does not apply to me.

The fiscal drag is not a result of this budget though - Sunak had already frozen the bands until 2028 hadn't he?

RR has just extended them to 2031.

I’m just happy to do my part to support the choices of the men who spread their seed to multiple women (only to disappear), and the women who fall for these men.

Both very under-supported and deserving minority groups. They could have their own Minister, too.

I personally think there should be a new Ministry of Silly Voices, while they’re at it…

You need to calm down and stop flinging accusations around.

Maybe that PP needs to "calm down" in what they post. Are you threatening me?

Tbf, I recognised the misogyny but had no idea about the contextual stuff [cited a few PPs above] that meant that this comment might be construed as also being racist, so am not sure you really can say they were being racist in this instance, as they may have been a clueless as I am? I hope that I am not racist but appreciate I may have unacknowledged biases that I need to resolve.

That said, I watched Kemi this morning properly - I’m afraid I can’t bear Rachel Reeves’ voice [not being misogynistic as there are a couple of other MPs I cannot listen to because of the nasally or flat vowelly cadence who are all men] - and I thought she was scorching. Concede that sometimes the comments seemed a bit personal, but that’s been the style of riposte in Parliament since the Whigs and Tories held the floor. Loved the Cheerios comment (RR really didn’t appreciate that one).

I accept that which is why I explained in my response to that poster why it was rascist. It's the fact others have defended that comment even once it has been pointed out/explained, that's worse!

I saw a survey couple of years back which found the average trade salary is now £10k higher than the average graduate salary and tradespeople get on the property ladder three years earlier on average. And of course without any student debt. I can well believe it as finding good tradies to do work for you can be like looking for hens teeth.

When the biggest voting block is pensioners, you end up with budgets where the triple lock and winter fuel allowance are sacred, yet new grads are pulled into paying loans at low salaries through fiscal drag.

Wondered how long it would be before ageist comments came along.

Income tax on the state pension
More tax on savings interest.
Fewer and fewer concessions

I don’t agree with most of the budget and agree young families are struggling. But I also don’t think the majority of older people are rubbing their hands together with glee

I agree, WildCats24 (and I'm a pensioner) but in fairness there's nothing stopping those much younger from voting, especially when they don't even need to get themselves to a polling station these days

That’s my point. Young people don’t vote en masse

Where’s the ageism in the comment?