The Budget 2025

MolteniArcore

Well-known member
As the media have been running with this for the last 4 months I thought I would have my 10 pence worth!

Sick of the coverage TBH but I am looking forward to seeing what is actually in it. It could be a real turning point for the country. Get some proper investment in and hopefully improve the NHS.

Some good things have been leaked so far:

- Extension of the bus ticket cap beyond the end of the year, despite it going up, will still save people money.
- Minimum wage going up
- Non dom status ends
- Triple lock stays
- Capital gains tax going up
- VAT on private school fees
- Inheritance tax change??
- PAYE and NI not going up

I wonder what rabbit she will pull out of the bag too - she must have one… surely!!!
 
Difficulty is there’s a lot of people not really grasping that much of the funding being raised is just to keep us at a standstill given the commitments from the prior government that weren’t accounted for.

Changing the rules to allow more investment should make a big difference. I’m hoping there plenty in addition to what’s already been announced/leaked.
 
It all seems really negative to me. Cuts to places that need expanding, not cutting (like buses), and increases to things that are likely to stifle growth (increased taxes on employer NI). Some of the investment stuff is good.

The message really feels the same as the Tories when they launched austerity with the "short-term pain for long-term gain" that never materialised. It was just long-term pain and no gain. I don't have a problem with taxes being raised if it is done fairly but I want to see some major benefits for everyone, and not just for the wealthy company owners that will benefit from the investment. More short-term pain on top of long-term pain just hurts. There needs to be something tangible to look forwards to and that is what has been missing so far from all of Labour's messages.
 
Aren't both main parties aligned now (and those at the coal face in the NHS) that throwing more money at the NHS is pointless without major overhaul to make it fit for todays demands? Waste being at the top of the list I suspect i.e. poor procurement practice accross different trusts, inefficient IT systems etc etc. (just what I have read - I dont work for the NHS so happy to be corrected on this) .
 
Increasing employer NI is going to have negative implications for consumers in my opinion, as those hikes will just be passed on.
Add employees to that. It’s basically coming out of their pockets.
Employees view their income as whatever the annual salary is. Employers see an overall cost that includes salary, benefits, and overheads such as NI.
If one of the fixed costs goes up it’s easy enough for them to take it back in the way of reduced annual pay rises, decreased benefits etc.
 
Bus fares going up from max of £2 to £3, scheme to be in place until end of 2025 👍🏻

This is a great scheme.

We need a similar scheme for non inter city trains.

My local authority have free child travel during school holidays too, which means even with the price cap going to £3 it will be cheaper to take them to the nearest city on the bus than it is to park there. This is the tipping point for public transport, when it is clearly better for your wallet in addition to easing congestion.
 
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