*** The 2017 Budget *** Official Matchday thread

[nicko31]

Typical Tory bullshit, pretending to care whilst looking after themselves and their rich mates.

From the Tory part conference last Oct...

Our society should work for everyone, but if you can’t afford to get onto the property ladder, or your child is stuck in a bad school, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.

Our economy should work for everyone, but if your pay has stagnated for several years in a row and fixed items of spending keep going up, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.

Our democracy should work for everyone, but if you’ve been trying to say things need to change for years and your complaints fall on deaf ears, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.
And the roots of the revolution run deep.

Because it wasn’t the wealthy who made the biggest sacrifices after the financial crash, but ordinary, working class families.

And if you’re one of those people who lost their job, who stayed in work but on reduced hours, took a pay cut as household bills rocketed, or – and I know a lot of people don’t like to admit this – someone who finds themselves out of work or on lower wages because of low-skilled immigration, life simply doesn’t seem fair.

It feels like your dreams have been sacrificed in the service of others.

So change has got to come.

We saw nothing for the JAMS yesterday, empty rhetoric

They voted Brexit in a sense of frustration and Europe was their scapegoat, misguided and lied to for - they are now being stitched up.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

We saw nothing for the JAMS yesterday, empty rhetoric

They voted Brexit in a sense of frustration and Europe was their scapegoat, misguided and lied to for - they are now being stitched up.

There was some good news if you were prepared to look for it.

Personal allowance up to £11,500

Tax-free childcare for working families, providing up to £2000 a year per child

Living/minimum wage rising to £7.50 (£500 more per year for full time worker)

 

[nicko31]

There was some good news if you were prepared to look for it.

Personal allowance up to £11,500

Tax-free childcare for working families, providing up to £2000 a year per child

Living/minimum wage rising to £7.50 (£500 more per year for full time worker)

All old news, nothing new. It won't even cover the increasing costs of food and fuel that are already here

 

[beorhthelm]

There was some good news if you were prepared to look for it.

thing is you had to look for anything in this budget, it was bereft of anything interesting. NIC was headline grabbing but affects a small number of people a small amount. dividend allowance change is actually a bigger deal, but seems less noticed. £2Bn for care is about the only other new item, the rest is regurgitation of the autumn statement or otherwise announced. in the live "highlights" BBC and Guardian struggled to put up a half dozen bullet points, and we cant even get a good argument going here.

as a fan of less government, this should be a great thing, alas much he could have done.

 

[Pavilionaire]

And why shouldn't female staff with young children have flexible working hours ? It would seem a tad unfair to deny them it when the fathers have it.

I'm not saying they shouldn't, I'm saying the argument "self-employed = flexible, employed = not flexible" is wrong.

The significance is that it's used as some sort justification for tax parity on the flawed notion that the self-employed came come and go as they please while employees have their nose to the grindstone from 9-5 Monday -Friday.

 

[beorhthelm]

as predicted, see that McDonnell is saying NI change is wrong, despite having previously called for end of tax avoidance.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm not saying they shouldn't, I'm saying the argument "self-employed = flexible, employed = not flexible" is wrong.

if referring to what i posted, i never made any argument "employed = not flexible". said flexibility is a benefit for people going self employed, generally its more flexible than employed. you can pick and choose hours, days, even jobs you work. not always of course, but is the case for most self employed.

 

[Ernest]

as predicted, see that McDonnell is saying NI change is wrong, despite having previously called for end of tax avoidance.

Where is the connection between putting up NI and tax avoidance ?

#TORYPLEDGE

 

[nicko31]

thing is you had to look for anything in this budget, it was bereft of anything interesting. NIC was headline grabbing but affects a small number of people a small amount. dividend allowance change is actually a bigger deal, but seems less noticed. £2Bn for care is about the only other new item, the rest is regurgitation of the autumn statement or otherwise announced. in the live "highlights" BBC and Guardian struggled to put up a half dozen bullet points, and we cant even get a good argument going here.

as a fan of less government, this should be a great thing, alas much he could have done.

The loss of £3000 is tax free divs costs £225 (7.5% tax), pretty minor.

The really killer for many small businesses in the revised business rates that hurts small shops just getting by (especially in place like Brighton where property rents are already high). Reform is needed, they need to ditch business rates full stop, and get it from somewhere else, VAT would be where I'd get it from. But the Tories stupidly boxed them themselves into a corner with election promises on that one

 

[beorhthelm]

Where is the connection between putting up NI and tax avoidance ?

some people register as self employed to lower their tax, when they might otherwise be employed, pay full employee NIC. if you want to complain about tax avoidance, need to close all the loop holes, including this small one used by anyone self employed earning £5000-50000.

im conflicted on the rise myself, on the one hand seems unfair to go after self employed, on the other hand why they get a discount for same state benefits. and i believe in flat taxes, so its a step in the right direction, however the reaction to this small change shows just how difficult that would be to do in practice.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

some people register as self employed to lower their tax, when they might otherwise be employed,

Many also register as self-employed as the only work available is agency work or gig-economy. These numbers have rocketed in the past few years.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

From the Tory part conference last Oct...

Our society should work for everyone, but if you can’t afford to get onto the property ladder, or your child is stuck in a bad school, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.

Our economy should work for everyone, but if your pay has stagnated for several years in a row and fixed items of spending keep going up, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.

Our democracy should work for everyone, but if you’ve been trying to say things need to change for years and your complaints fall on deaf ears, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.
And the roots of the revolution run deep.

Because it wasn’t the wealthy who made the biggest sacrifices after the financial crash, but ordinary, working class families.

And if you’re one of those people who lost their job, who stayed in work but on reduced hours, took a pay cut as household bills rocketed, or – and I know a lot of people don’t like to admit this – someone who finds themselves out of work or on lower wages because of low-skilled immigration, life simply doesn’t seem fair.

It feels like your dreams have been sacrificed in the service of others.

So change has got to come.

We saw nothing for the JAMS yesterday, empty rhetoric

They voted Brexit in a sense of frustration and Europe was their scapegoat, misguided and lied to for - they are now being stitched up.

Quite. The only time the Tories care is when it's election time and they bribe their core support with pension increases and inheritance tax.

 

[highflyer]

thing is you had to look for anything in this budget, it was bereft of anything interesting. NIC was headline grabbing but affects a small number of people a small amount. dividend allowance change is actually a bigger deal, but seems less noticed. £2Bn for care is about the only other new item, the rest is regurgitation of the autumn statement or otherwise announced. in the live "highlights" BBC and Guardian struggled to put up a half dozen bullet points, and we cant even get a good argument going here.

as a fan of less government, this should be a great thing, alas much he could have done.

Indeed, there was very little of consequence. Even the NIC only seems to be really interesting because of the 'breaking a promise' issue, rather than any dramatic impact.

The real story is the cumulative impact of all the budget decisions taken under this government - and who they are affecting. So, let me throw this up, and let battle commence.
Do we think this is OK?

 

[CHAPPERS]

The situation with solar power is the biggest joke in that budget.

Britain’s solar industry is facing devastation and consumers could see energy bills rise after the Chancellor Philip Hammond refused to listen to pleas to cancel a planned tax hike of up to 800 per cent on rooftop solar schemes.

The Solar Trade Association described the Government’s refusal to bend over the increase – due to come into force in April – as “nonsensical” and “absurd”.

Bizarrely, state schools with solar panels will be forced to pay, while private schools will remain exempt.

Utterly shameful.

 

[JC Footy Genius]

thing is you had to look for anything in this budget, it was bereft of anything interesting. NIC was headline grabbing but affects a small number of people a small amount. dividend allowance change is actually a bigger deal, but seems less noticed. £2Bn for care is about the only other new item, the rest is regurgitation of the autumn statement or otherwise announced. in the live "highlights" BBC and Guardian struggled to put up a half dozen bullet points, and we cant even get a good argument going here.

as a fan of less government, this should be a great thing, alas much he could have done.

True although it may have been largely uneventful because of our current circumstances plus the government isn't exactly awash with excess cash. Maxing out the credit card even more (Official Labour Policy) would give the opposition a free hit and undermine their stance on austerity. Spreadsheet Phil is returning to the one Budget a year formula perhaps he's saving the bigger announcements for later in the Year.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Shock horror the tories are screwing over the working class.

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[Titanic]

Tory backbenchers achieve what Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition failed to do, and persuade the chancellor to change course on Class 4 NICs:

https://order-order.com/2017/03/15/hammond-u-turns-national-insurance-rise/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39278968

Plans to increase National Insurance levels for self-employed people - announced in the Budget last week - have been dropped.
Chancellor Philip Hammond has said the government will not proceed with the increases which were criticised for breaking a 2015 manifesto pledge.
In a letter to Tory MPs, he said: "There will be no increases in rates in this Parliament."

 

[Driver8]

Tory backbenchers achieve what Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition failed to do, and persuade the chancellor to change course on Class 4 NICs:

https://order-order.com/2017/03/15/hammond-u-turns-national-insurance-rise/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39278968

Plans to increase National Insurance levels for self-employed people - announced in the Budget last week - have been dropped.
Chancellor Philip Hammond has said the government will not proceed with the increases which were criticised for breaking a 2015 manifesto pledge.
In a letter to Tory MPs, he said: "There will be no increases in rates in this Parliament."

His stay as Chancellor could be a short one if he is that weak.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Ah the budget u-turns continue, thought it was just Osborne up to it but its just Tory incompetence in general.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

His stay as Chancellor could be a short one if he is that weak.

Osbourne got away with it for a Parliament.