We won’t know too much until we can read tomorrows analysis , but we do know of this government’s intended direction of travel, and whether it meets with our expectations as voters and what we all voted for, which of course changes with each individual.
My vote and expectation was for
First and foremost to save our NHS and crumbling public services.
Second was to address the state of our environment, the polluted seas and rivers, and the lack of diversity.
Next -to address the fact that economic growth has been more or less stagnant since 2010. We need a Keynesian type budget for growth, that is imaginative and forward thinking to produce the revenue to invest in out country.
Personally I have never thought it possible to have this type of successful economy where citizens can be confident of a cradle to grave welfare state, where education is first class, health is free at the point of use and available within a very reasonable time limit, where public services are well run and invested in and care for all in need comes as a right, can be obtained by the tax payer on the cheap. This type of economy must be paid for and we will need to see tax at Scandinavian levels in order to achieve this.
Looking at the state the country is in, we knew in July that this would be a mighty task. Mighty tasks need research/planning and massive effort. They always start painfully slowly but momentum will gather as each year passes and we will gradually see the result of the effort put in to save our country from the ravages of 14 long years of economic blows our public services received.
Of course the right wing media - childlike - is insisting on jam today without spending any of their pocket money, but as wise parents we know that all jam does is rot your teeth. Instant gratification is only for the hard of thinking, the more intelligent know that time is the master.
So now looking back at the few short months Labour has been in government, i am pretty supportive of the direction of travel, and the achievements to date - which probably need listing to remind everyone - but not for this thread.
Some stuff has been announced but I think it best until we begin to see how it fits into the overall picture before we begin to comment.
It looks as if this is going to be a massive budget though - so hold onto your hats!
I am totally against IHT, probably the only thing I have in common with Jeremy Clarkson.
No doubt his estimated worth (£54 million) has been taxed at the higher rate whilst working in media, taxing it again on his death (or anyone who’s estate is liable for IHT) is just wrong in my opinion.
(The U.K. is fourth in the world for highest IHT rates)
fancythat
In the 1970's, many farms were relatively a lot more profitable than they are now.
They were Indeed you could work hard and buy land to expand, despite high interest rates.
GrannyGravy13
I am totally against IHT, probably the only thing I have in common with Jeremy Clarkson.
No doubt his estimated worth (£54 million) has been taxed at the higher rate whilst working in media, taxing it again on his death (or anyone who’s estate is liable for IHT) is just wrong in my opinion.
(The U.K. is fourth in the world for highest IHT rates)
If the value of land falls it might not be such a smart investment.
Casdon
Rosie51
Casdon
Angela Rayner bought her council house before the heavily discounted rate was introduced. People will still be able to buy their council houses under similar terms to hers.
I don't dispute that Casdon, but Greyisnotmycolour, has called TakeThat7 incredibly selfish for wanting to buy her council house. Discounts aside, the taking a council house out of public ownership is exactly the same.
I don’t have a problem with council houses being sold to tenants, if they want to stay in a house that is already their home, fine. However, the house should be sold to them at a price that enables the council to reinvest to build another house for another tenant at an affordable rent.
Unfortunately when Thatcher introduced selling off social housing, she also prevented the councils from building new social housing.
It’s a start at least.Something at least is being done to improve the lot of ordinary people.Let’s wait and see but it has to be better than the nonaction and chaos of the previous regime.
Doodledog
Casdon
Ability to build new homes at an affordable rate must vary by Local Authority area Doodledog. Councils generally own land which is redundant which they can build on still, and per council area there are not large numbers of council homes sold annually. Where I live the strategy has been to build more small units of accommodation, and some larger homes that were formerly privately owned that come up for sale have been bought back by the council at full market rate. People do get very attached to their houses, and I think wherever possible they should be enabled to buy them, just my personal view.
That's true about differentials between areas. If they are sold at the going rate for the area it's maybe less of an issue, but I still think that as long as there is homelessness and people struggling on high rents then social housing should stay state owned.
Too many young people are running to stand still because of high rents, and can see no hope of having somewhere with a secure tenancy, never mind something of their own.
When I moved to London back in the 60s I paid one third of my salary in rent. This was a one bedroomed flat for 3 people and the other two were paying the same in rent as I. In fact I also worked some evenings in addition to my full time job in order to have some spending money.
I am aware that rents are now higher but I suspect that generally the accommodation is better now than we had back then.
We did not buy our first home until we were 32 and the deposit was 25%. Not all deposits were that high but we chose to buy an old wreck which lenders weren't so keen on. Half the deposit came from my father because he had just inherited his mother's home and the other half was tax savings because we were both self employed. I can't remember how I managed to pay my tax.
M0nica I doubt that people buying houses in a new estate want housing association homes adjacent to them. There are examples where affordable houses have been built on the same estate as more expensive ones but those in affordable homes haven't been given access to facilities such as play areas and gardens both of which are locked to prevent unauthorised use.
Dinahmo
M0nica I doubt that people buying houses in a new estate want housing association homes adjacent to them. There are examples where affordable houses have been built on the same estate as more expensive ones but those in affordable homes haven't been given access to facilities such as play areas and gardens both of which are locked to prevent unauthorised use.
Those examples are unbelievably shocking to me. Does it really happen?
Assumptions made that people who need housing association accommodation are somehow "Lesser" or "out to cause trouble". People on a low income or have some disability/ special need are we to label them thus?
Here's the actual figures for Employer's NI:
From April 2025, there will be an increase to the amount of National Insurance (NI) contributions an employer must make. NI Contributions will increase by 1.2% to a total of 15%, and the National Insurance primary threshold - which is when employers begin to pay NI, will be lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.
Although the NI threshold has been lowered, the amount of National Insurance a business can offset will increase as the employment allowance will change from £5,000 to £10,500. The government claims this change to the employment allowance will result in 865,000 employers paying no National Insurance, whilst over 1 million businesses will pay the same amount of National Insurance as the previous year.
For someone earning £40k their employer will pay an extra £480 a year. Hardly a lot.
Surely it's better that the minimum wage has been increased for the lower paid, the young and apprentices.
Wyllow3
Dinahmo
M0nica I doubt that people buying houses in a new estate want housing association homes adjacent to them. There are examples where affordable houses have been built on the same estate as more expensive ones but those in affordable homes haven't been given access to facilities such as play areas and gardens both of which are locked to prevent unauthorised use.
Those examples are unbelievably shocking to me. Does it really happen?
Assumptions made that people who need housing association accommodation are somehow "Lesser" or "out to cause trouble". People on a low income or have some disability/ special need are we to label them thus?
Yes, it does really happen.
The majority of HAs these days were set up to take over the remaining social housing owned by the local authorities. Smaller associations, often set up for a specific group have been taken over by the larger ones.
“ Anyone wonder why Clarkson is so annoyed?
He bought the farm specifically to avoid IHT
Oh dear!”
WW that’s made my day🤣🤣🤣 This budget has been worth it just for that!
LizzieDrip
“ Anyone wonder why Clarkson is so annoyed?
He bought the farm specifically to avoid IHT
Oh dear!”
WW that’s made my day🤣🤣🤣 This budget has been worth it just for that!
I wouldn’t get carried away.
Jeremy Clarkson is worth approximately £54 million, he got Diddly Squat Farm for £4.5 million in 2008, so no big deal for him…
GrannyGravy13
LizzieDrip
“ Anyone wonder why Clarkson is so annoyed?
He bought the farm specifically to avoid IHT
Oh dear!”
WW that’s made my day🤣🤣🤣 This budget has been worth it just for that!I wouldn’t get carried away.
Jeremy Clarkson is worth approximately £54 million, he got Diddly Squat Farm for £4.5 million in 2008, so no big deal for him…
I wonder why he doesn’t just shut up then if it’s no big deal to him? Mind, I wonder that whatever he says.
Casdon he has said repeatedly that his income is not reliant on his Farm.
He is very vocal in sticking up for the farming community, and despite people on here being ecstatic about farms paying IHT the majority of working farmers have grave concerns.
Farming is perilous at the best of times, supermarkets screwing them down constantly for the lowest price, this is going to be the straw that breaks many farmers backs.
I have zero respect for him I’m afraid GrannyGravy13, nor do any of the farmers I know.
Don't forget Oreo many employers said that with the introduction of the very first minimum wage.
It didn't happen.
Casdon
I have zero respect for him I’m afraid GrannyGravy13, nor do any of the farmers I know.
What "sort" of farmers are they?
Hobby ones? Very large ones?
Those with 4 acres?
1 family of 3 farmers?
Farmers that live near him?
Farmers in Wales?
Which sort please?
As that doesnt compute with the ones I know of[rural, different sizes of family farms].
They all enjoy the programme, and think he highlights their plight well, especially to non rural people.
GrannyGravy13
Casdon he has said repeatedly that his income is not reliant on his Farm.
He is very vocal in sticking up for the farming community, and despite people on here being ecstatic about farms paying IHT the majority of working farmers have grave concerns.
Farming is perilous at the best of times, supermarkets screwing them down constantly for the lowest price, this is going to be the straw that breaks many farmers backs.
I agree GG - farmers in my family up here in north Wales admire him for his humour in spite of all that nature and bureaucracy throws at farmers.
His humility in learning on the job and picking the brains of those who know the land backwards is an example Labour would have done well to follow - faint hope eh!
fancythat
Casdon
I have zero respect for him I’m afraid GrannyGravy13, nor do any of the farmers I know.
What "sort" of farmers are they?
Hobby ones? Very large ones?
Those with 4 acres?
1 family of 3 farmers?
Farmers that live near him?
Farmers in Wales?
Which sort please?
As that doesnt compute with the ones I know of[rural, different sizes of family farms].
They all enjoy the programme, and think he highlights their plight well, especially to non rural people.
Mid Wales. Sheep farmers, a few have cows too. There are very few crops grown here, the soil is too poor and it’s mountainous. Smaller farms generally, not hundreds of acres, but they are farmers rather than smallholders.
Thank goodness for some coming sense - our huge wish list in this country cannot be met unless taxation increases, as per scandansvia. And THAT is the rabbit among the foxes. - few are prepared to pay for it
LizzieDrip
“ Anyone wonder why Clarkson is so annoyed?
He bought the farm specifically to avoid IHT
Oh dear!”
WW that’s made my day🤣🤣🤣 This budget has been worth it just for that!
Of course he did! 😂
£4.5 million out of £54 million is peanuts!
The point is that he didn't make his millions from farming.
You’re right Allira, that is the point, he didn’t make his millions from farming, he’s a hobby farmer.
Angiewub
Thank goodness for some coming sense - our huge wish list in this country cannot be met unless taxation increases, as per scandansvia. And THAT is the rabbit among the foxes. - few are prepared to pay for it
Possibly because none of us trusts governments to use the taxation in the way it is used in Scandinavia.
Taxation in Germany has specific targets, none of the let’s raise taxes to fill black holes so no one knows whether the money is actually used for what it was intended.
fancythat
Casdon
I have zero respect for him I’m afraid GrannyGravy13, nor do any of the farmers I know.
What "sort" of farmers are they?
Hobby ones? Very large ones?
Those with 4 acres?
1 family of 3 farmers?
Farmers that live near him?
Farmers in Wales?
Which sort please?
As that doesnt compute with the ones I know of[rural, different sizes of family farms].
They all enjoy the programme, and think he highlights their plight well, especially to non rural people.
The farmers in my family watch his programmes?
Whst sort of farmers are they?
Extremely hardworking ones, stressed by all the government bureaucracy and the demands of the supermarkets, trying to making enough to cover the vastly increased expenses but still have enough to live on themselves.
I don't know why that had ? after programmes
It was meant to be programmes!
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