The pre budget report

[Alice]

Well, there's nothing in there that will do diddlysquat for my finances or spending power (not complaining about personal position).
Anybody out there gaining anything ?

[smallblueplanet]

Can't imagine how - the Govt will be more than making back the vat cuts on booze & petrol, with increases in duty, which really p***es me off!

[SarzWix]

Anybody out there gaining anything ?

Given with one hand, and taken away with the other! Essentially, it will make very little difference to us.
Pa is fuming though, he will lose out with the rise in HR tax & the fuel duty hike, and so will my uncle.

[nelliegemini]

The VAT cut is a tiny alteration in taxing that will cost the average retailer far more in staffing for relabelling than any profit made on the extra sales, if there are any. Yeah maybe you can now afford that widescreen TV now that there is 2.5% less tax on it but are you going to buy it now, if you wanted it then you would have paid the extra. On low cost items, beer, wine, cigs the savings are so small that it will make no difference. And isn't it cool that the government are making drink and cigs cheaper

[smallblueplanet]

...And isn't it cool that the government are making drink and cigs cheaper

They're not, they're raising the duty to compensate.

[lynda66]

well i'm gonna go out and buy a brand new car, for £12000 and with the hundred quid i'll save i'm gonna go and buy a new telly .........

or is that actually i'll save a couple of pence on a chip muffin every couple of weeks and erm oh yeah cat food will be a whole 2 1/2 p cheaper ...... so i'll save a whole approx 15p a week on pet food ....... but baccy will go up so thats that gone ...... and food doesn't have vat anyway ....... so nope won't save anything, won't gain anything ....... they seem to forget some people don't have dependent children and aren't pensioners...... and can't afford to go out and buy new big items to save a few pence.... just to help the government get in m ore debt

[SarzWix]

Will it make seeds or compost any cheaper? *Looks for bright side...*

[lynda66]

oh yeah i'd forgotten about that a whole 7 1/2p on a £3 bag of compost ... cool ....... there is a small upside ........ i want to know what's going to happen in pound shops now ...... and will they all have to change their names?? to they 97 1/2 p shop? ....... and what about all the 1/2 pences we're going to save.

[SarzWix]

I've still got a couple of halfpennies

[lynda66]

lol ...... we should all get our half pennies and see how many shops will let us spend them i so want to know how they are going to get round it ........ i just reckon that for anything that's a pound now will go up in price, they'll leave it at a pound ...... so in reality we'll be paying more for stuff, than we were before ...... so actually no one will save anything......... yet another pointless government exercise then

[pigletwillie]

chocolate digestives will be about 3p cheaper!!!!!!!!

[lynda66]

well that's ok then ........ only thing is i get mine from home bargains ...... so they are about 50p cheaper anyway ...... hmmmmm i need to start shopping at more expensive places so i can save more

[piskieinboots]

I have to remember how to reprogram my calculator!
I have to jiggle accounts for clients
...then I have to put them all back again in Dec 2009

[Two_Sheds]

Carp int it?
A 10p income tax band would have been more helpful ... why hasn't anyone thought of that before?


Our mortgage is fixed rate. Our gas isn't capped. It's freezing cold, I'm wearing a hat and scarf indoors.
And our ISA's interest rate is now below 2% (not that there's anything in it)

[bubblewrap]

Unemployed living on benefits very little to spend I have gained.......................................b****r all.