Chancellor John Healey is poised to present a budget featuring the elimination of tariffs on over 100 goods and a freeze on fuel duty, aiming to provide "breathing space" for households grappling with the cost of living. The budget also allocates £15 million towards combating misogyny, alongside measures to shield low-income pensioners from income tax increases as the state pension rises in April. These "everyday fixes" are intended to address immediate financial pressures while also tackling broader economic and social challenges.
While the budget signals a commitment to easing household burdens, certain proposals have faced scrutiny. Campaigners have voiced concerns over the planned spending on carbon capture technologies, urging a redirection of funds towards initiatives that offer more direct and reliable emission reductions and lower energy bills. Additionally, a proposed digital taper system for benefits, while intended to abolish the "cliff edge" for carer's allowance, has drawn criticism from unpaid carers who will still be required to repay past overpayments.
Healey's Budget to Cut Tariffs, Freeze Fuel Duty, and Fund Anti-Misogyny Initiatives
12 stories · 3 sources
Sources
- Unpaid carers say chancellor’s plan to scrap allowance cliff edge falls short — The Guardian World,
- Chris Mason: Budget needs to go some way towards delivering PM's promises — BBC Politics,
- What do we know about Chancellor John Healey? — BBC Politics,
- Healey to promise £15m to tackle misogyny in Budget — BBC Politics,
- Tax on banks, energy bill help and minimum wage rise - what could be in the Budget? — BBC Business,
- Cut spending on ‘fairytale’ carbon capture plans, campaigners urge chancellor — The Guardian World,
- Tories dismiss PM’s budget ‘everyday fixes’ as little more than ‘cheaper gherkins’, and ‘an insult to families’ – UK politics live — The Guardian World,
- Will the Budget pass Burnham's Makerfield test? — BBC Business,
- Healey vows cheaper marmalade and gherkins in pre-Budget package of 'everyday fixes' — BBC Business,
- Healey to shield low-income pensioners from income tax in the Budget — BBC Politics,
- Healey's Budget needs to sustain the stronger economy through gathering clouds — BBC Business,
- Four ways Labour could raise money in the Budget without hiking income tax — BBC Business,