Reply to: UK Budget 2009

[Contractor UK]

Thanks for all your comments, we're closing this Budget predictions thread now and opening a new one for comments on the speech as it happens later today.

[SantaClaus]

As usual with New Liebour, skip the announcements and analyse the small print with a very fine toothcomb

[BlasterBates]

They always put duty up, always....if they didn't everyone would be disappointed because it is an annual ritual to complain about it.

[cojak]

Swingeing taxes but all delayed until next Jan/March.

(any one remember the stealth petrol tax that came into effect last month? I thought not...)

[chef]

who cares about 20% VAT?

its all funny money anyway on the HMRC merry-go-round

a VAT increase wouldnt affect me that much in the same way the VAT decrease hasnt affected me that much

[PM-Junkie]

20% VAT is inevitable. It is simply a matter of when it happens Tory or nuLiebore, it won't matter. The finances are screwed and they need revenue.

to stop spending our money like it's a never ending pot.

[Fred Bloggs]

20% VAT is inevitable. It is simply a matter of when it happens Tory or nuLiebore, it won't matter. The finances are screwed and they need revenue.

[BlasterBates]

If I was in a very clever well thought out tax avoidance scheme, I would be currently purchasing plane ticket to Brasil.

[AtW]

20% VAT is actually a good idea, but I am sure they won't do it.

[centurian]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/8003627.stm

And top of the predictions

Enforcement: I think one likely area is for the Chancellor to make much of the need to enforce existing rules and regulations to cut down on tax avoidance.

BN67/IR36 coming perhaps

[minestrone]

They won't have that luxury by the end of the year so I predict an "in-denial" budget followed by an autumn election while they hope for a glimmer of economic good news in the meantime that they will claim is the end of the recession.

Yes, and call me mad but the weather will play a big part in the autumn election, plenty of sun and people will generally be happy with their lot, 'bugger the economy, tesco are doing a flat pack for 6 quid so let's head down the park with a football'.

[centurian]

I think that there is enough wriggle-room for them to get past next week's budget without having to come clean about how badly tax revenues are going to collapse in 2009 and as a result how deeply in debt the country will be.

They won't have that luxury by the end of the year so I predict an "in-denial" budget followed by an autumn election while they hope for a glimmer of economic good news in the meantime that they will claim is the end of the recession.

Unless there's a real turnaround in the poll's. I can't see an Autumn election.

Brown is pinning all his hopes on the recovery being underway in 2010, so he can take the credit for saving us from the lions - and hope we forget he was the one who let them out in the first place.

However good things are in the Autumn, if things are recovering then they will (in theory) be better in April 2010, so he's going to delay the election as long as possible

[Gonzo]

I think that there is enough wriggle-room for them to get past next week's budget without having to come clean about how badly tax revenues are going to collapse in 2009 and as a result how deeply in debt the country will be.

They won't have that luxury by the end of the year so I predict an "in-denial" budget followed by an autumn election while they hope for a glimmer of economic good news in the meantime that they will claim is the end of the recession.

[centurian]

hahahahahahaha.... it's a bit late for that don't you think. Only somebody that has been trekking through jungles for the past ten years could possibly be unaware of the economic mess we are in.

Living on benefits / working for the public sector

Probably about 30% of the electorate - and getting higher by the day. That's quite a few votes in the bank.

This race ain't over yet. Cameron's on pole, but he still has to drive it over the line without spinning off the track (been watching F1 this morning)

[Cyberman]

What is the betting that they defer as many hard decisions as possible now, then go to the country in the autumn before they are forced to admit how bad things have really got?

hahahahahahaha.... it's a bit late for that don't you think. Only somebody that has been trekking through jungles for the past ten years could possibly be unaware of the economic mess we are in.