Budget 2024

[Manc in London]

I think the increase in NI and Corporation Tax for the bigger companies will inevitably lead to increases in prices and inflation.

Plus, the new workers charter and increase in wages will fuel that as well.

The Government has to raise more money. We will not get it from the growth in the short term. Either the public or businesses were going to have to pay the bulk. Real household incomes have fallen, while profits of large companies have risen. It was the right choice from both economic and ethical standpoints.

 

[BrianW]

I'm not convinced benefits are what draw people here.

I would suggest:

1. The English language. Unless we all agree to start speaking Welsh, there's not much you can do about that.

2. Established family/kin networks.

3. No ID cards. (Many people don't want a national ID card.)

4. A large black economy with lots of opportunities for cash-in-hand working.

5. Lax controls over employment. Dodgy companies like the meal delivery firms that will use anyone who rocks up, irrespective of status and weak laws that permit this to happen.

 

[Really_here]

The problem there is that everybody’s situation is different and wherever you draw your lines will leave a certain percentage destitute.

Means-testing costs a lot, unless a new, cheaper way of determining who should qualify is found. Ie It’d cost the country more to means-test WFA than to pay all pensioners at present.

IMHO the saving would be worth the effort in finding a better way to determine eligibility for ALL benefits like I said originally and I'd still like to see the numbers on people who weren't born here as stated in my original post.

 

[dobingsdobber]

Business's will be the ones pissed off and they just pass any increase in costs into their customers which will drive up inflation. £40b in tax increases has to be found from somewhere.

I'm just watching a Financial Expert on the BBC now, he's no political affiliation but he's talking absolute sense.

My two daughters run their own business and you are correct.Apart from the points you have made,they will now have to consider not filling posts as they become vacant,leading to possibilities of more unemployed,more on benefits and less tax going in to the system.

 

[dobingsdobber]

I'm happy to see the lazy rich bastads squeezed.

Is that because you're not one,or the politics of envy,or both?

 

[bluethrunthru]

My two daughters run their own business and you are correct.Apart from the points you have made,they will now have to consider not filling posts as they become vacant,leading to possibilities of more unemployed,more on benefits and less tax going in to the system.

how big are their businesses? How many do they employ and at what rates of pay? And why squeeze your own business - if all around you people are better off and those people are potential customers if you can't service their demands because you have insufficient staff

 

[Blue Maverick]

I fucking knew it, sneaky bastards.

 

[ganganvince]

I fucking knew it, sneaky bastards.

Living over brush is a less attractive option now.

 

[frothy]

Fuck me Sophy Ridge the erstwhile quintessential sweet English rose has turned into Tory K on steroids , she's well pissed off. This budget has hit her for sure. Never seen her like this, incredibly aggressive lolz

Because she is doing her job as a journalist? and questioning the Budget?

 

[frothy]

As always the devil is in the detail but superficially it was much better than I expected, under difficult circumstance.

Small business have been suitably protected from the NI raise. The only thing that concerns me is the impact on recruitment and jobs where employers have the opportunity to offshore work. Raising the minimum wage will inevitably have a knock on effect along with increase NI for medium/large businesses.
Some additional protections around maximum percentages of offshoring of work particularly on government funded contracts is needed.

So in other words they have fucked up?