[Tubby Isaacs]

The City lawyers and accountant partners seem to have escaped a tax rise, unfortunately. Still, that one's there for later.

[kreuzberger]

I thought that Reeves played an absolute blinder, today. She left the tories and sundry other critics gasping like haddock on a trawler deck.

"Embattled", my arse.

[Boiler]

Fuck off, Ed Davey.

They're negotiating with the EU right now, as you well know. Growth is second in the G7.

This was a botched budget delivered by a chancellor who has diagnosed the disease, but refuses to administer the cure.
This government has chosen to reject the single biggest thing it could do to turbocharge economic growth and repair the £90bn Brexit black hole.
Labour was elected on a promise of tackling the cost of living crisis and growing the economy - and this is the second budget where it’s failed to do either. For millions of people struggling with higher bills, all this budget really offers is higher taxes.

Although I had precious little time to read it today, I did note that it was refreshing not to have the usual whining about rejoining the EU BTL in the Guardian, nor the accusations towards those who voted remain but would now vote to leave it of being liars, as though you can't change your mind in the light of events.

[davidjay]

I thought that Reeves played an absolute blinder, today. She left the tories and sundry other critics gasping like haddock on a trawler deck.

"Embattled", my arse.

The girl certainly did dun good

[satnav]

When the biggest complaint from GB News is that Rachel Reeves failed to let one of their piss poor journalists ask her a question it would suggest she did rather well.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I thought that Reeves played an absolute blinder, today. She left the tories and sundry other critics gasping like haddock on a trawler deck.

"Embattled", my arse.

Covering her arse, according to the Guardian... raising taxes to pay for u-turns...

[Tubby Isaacs]

There are some pretty heroic efficiency savings in future plans, including for areas which are on their arse, like courts. But there's quite a bit of headroom, and I presume this will have to be used.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Rachel Reeves targets UK’s wealthiest in £26bn tax-raising budget

What's going on at The Guardian? A strangely positive headline. By tomorrow they'll be on to the usual "massive missed opportunity for the radical change everyone wants" or something about the government "refusing to rule out"slaughter of the first born.

In fairness Heather Stewart is pretty fair, and this is one of her big days.

[davidjay]

Rachel Reeves targets UK’s wealthiest in £26bn tax-raising budget

What's going on at The Guardian? A strangely positive headline. By tomorrow they'll be on to the usual "massive missed opportunity for the radical change everyone wants" or something about the government "refusing to rule out"slaughter of the first born.

In fairness Heather Stewart is pretty fair, and this is one of her big days.

Don't worry, the Mail are making up for it.

[The Weeping Angel]

[Youngian]

We wish, such a pity Heath is mad as a badger and wrong about everything.
Good sign the government has found its comms mojo by downplaying the budget to such a low point of grimness to wind up the opposition.

[Boiler]

I had the misfortune to hear a very entitled farmer on Farming Today this morning moaning about taxes being sent abroad - zero sympathy, I'm afraid.

(As an aside, how the fuck the interview with the head of the NFU passed a tech review I don't know)

[Samanfur]

such a pity Heath is mad a badger

That's an insult to badgers.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Enforced equality? I might agree with Heath on why some taxes on the wealthiest are a bad idea, but the idea we’re very equal is absolute bollocks.

[Abernathy]

If only it were true that Labour's victory is total and socialism is back (somebody should tell Jeremy Corbyn).

Typical sensationalist guff from Heath, though. The guy is away with the fucking fairies.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Big Dan Neidle reckons that this is all in all an ok way of raising £26bn. That’s good enough for me.

He’s disappointed about the lack of tax reform, as ever. That anomaly whereby high earners pay 40, then 60, then 45 again should surely have been got rid of. Bring the threshold for the 45 down or something.

The VAT threshold is too high and deters people from taking on work so they don’t meet it. Trouble is that the “common sense” position sounds like it should be raised- Rupert Lowe has argued for this. It’s completely wrong but I can see why Reeves doesn’t want to go there.

[Andy McDandy]

I keep getting Allister Heath and Sebastian Payne confused. I know that one's an arsehole and the other's a twat, but how do I tell them apart?

It's the old Daniel Hannan/Douglas Carswell conundrum all over again.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I was skeptical of the Office for Value for Money. Maybe I shouldn't have been. From the Institute of Government.

The OVfM has put forward serious proposals for better spending
Slipped out alongside today’s big announcements on tax are a series welcome reforms to the spending framework.

These include:

10-year projections for efficiencies to help “enable a focus on long-term value for money”, with projections set out for four policy areas and a proposed methodology for estimating efficiencies which could be applied more widely.
Improvements to the spending controls and accountability framework, to help streamline decision-making and improve delivery.
The four topics for the first round of programme thematic value for money reviews, as first announced at the IfG in January. These are: new models of care in the NHS and communities, youth provision, funding and delivery models for homelessness services and maintenance of public assets.
These recommendations come from the Office for Value for Money, the internal Treasury unit established last autumn.

If done well, these reforms could deliver serious improvements to how government spends taxpayers' money.

Not very exciting, but sometimes the answer is "more bureaucrats" in some areas. I don't know how well integrated into the health reforms they are, mind.

[Bones McCoy]

I've not paid any attention to the details.

But when the worst the BBC can come up with is;

£100,000 earner upset about reduction in ISA limit

You know it's not an instant Kwarteng.


And I see our "Hard working up every hour, every day" Farmers organised another London Jolly.
What's that, the 3rd of 4th this month.
Who the heck is milking the organic sugar beet?

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is good. Plus the hotel tax. Perhaps there could be some more devolved taxes? The problem is that for poorer areas, it's hard to raise much extra tax locally. See the experience of Wales, who've tried to be strategic but have just got it in the neck for the NHS being run down. If there's not much money about, the only way it can improve much is for more money to come in from the centre. There are a few extras specific to Wales but they don't sound like much.