Knowledge Is Power

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The News which I read and found interesting

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The main points from Chancellor Alistair Darling's pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review statement:

Main points: Darling statement

TAXES

  • The inheritance tax threshold for couples will rise to £600,000 and then to £700,000 by 2010.

  • The main rate of corporation tax will be cut by 2p in the pound to 28% by next year.

  • Mr Darling promised to reform the capital gains tax system, ensuring those working in private equity pay a "fairer share". There will be a single rate of 18%.

  • A number of "loopholes" for non-domiciled tax payers will be examined. Mr Darling said Tory plans to charge a flat rate of £25,000 to such people, would mean only 15,000 paying. This would mean revenue of £650m a year, rather than £3.5bn that the Tories had estimated, he added.

    HEALTH

  • Over the next three years the NHS will increase its funding by an average of 4% above the rate of inflation.

  • NHS funding in England to rise from £90bn this year to £110bn by 2010.

    EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  • The education and skills budget will rise to £74bn by 2010.

  • Investment on science and technology to rise to £6bn in three years' time.

    THE ECONOMY

  • Mr Darling said it was a time of "increased economic uncertainty" with "turbulence in America, Asia and Europe" .

  • There would be "no risks with unaffordable promises that put the public finances at risk".

  • UK economic growth is expected to be between 2% and 2.5% next year, the chancellor said. And for 2009/2010 it is 2.5% to 3%.

  • Mr Darling said he expected to make a statement on Northern Rock later this week.

    PUBLIC FINANCES

  • The government will keep net debt at a sustainable level during the next economic cycle, Mr Darling said.

  • Net borrowing was forecast to fall from £38bn this year to £23bn in 2012.

  • Government departments will save a further £30bn by 2010, on top of £20bn of savings already achieved, the chancellor said.

    DEFENCE/TERROR/CRIME

  • Mr Darling allocated an extra £400m for military operations abroad this year.

  • He announced a new single budget for the police, security services and other agencies to deal with terrorism, to rise by £1bn a year to £3.5bn in three years' time.

  • Spending on the Home Office is to rise to £20bn by 2010.

    ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND OVERSEAS AID

  • Mr Darling said aviation duty would be paid on flights, rather than individual passengers.

  • An extra £200m for free pensioner bus travel next year.

  • By 2010, the transport budget will rise to £14.5bn a year, including projects to widen the M1 and M6.

  • Mr Darling said the UK was the only country to have met its Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions targets.

  • The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs budget will rise to £4bn in three years' time, including £800m by 2010 for flood defences.

  • The overseas aid budget will rise to £9bn by 2010.

    BENEFITS AND PENSIONS

  • The amount of child maintenance a family can receive without it affecting their benefits will double from £20 a week to £40 a week by 2010.

  • Pension credits will rise £5 a week from next April for single people and £7.65 for couples.

    HOUSING

  • The government will spend more than £4bn over the next three years to help people in poor-quality housing make renovations.

    CULTURE

  • There would be an inflation increase for arts and culture spending, Mr darling said. The budget for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will rise to £2.2bn in three years.

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