The Budget!
Posted by Mark Oaten, MP for Winchester, at 13:55, Thu 23 April 2009:
Hi,
Thanks to all of you who have registered on this site.
Yesterdays Budget has obviously sent shock waves around the country – and we could talk about a whole host of issues for a long time – public debt, economy forecasts, unemployment etc.
Instead I want to try and pin it down to two questions that I would be interested to hear your views on:
1) Do you think the economy is going to be on the way up by the end of the year? 2) Are you in favour of, or against, the 2p on fuel to be introduced?
Let me know what you think.
Mark
Comments
Commenting on this message is now disabled.
Posted by Thomas Foster, 14:07, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
1. economy on way up. No. 2. 2pm on fuel. For ... if supported by other measures in a firm enough approach to generate social and economic improvement.
Efficiencies are critical. I want to see more social justice AND the beginning of the end of a system that allows people to live off the efforts of others. This trend perpetuates a generational and almost institutionalized position of poverty and worsens already desperate public finances.
Posted by Dave Craven, 14:20, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
1. Economy on way down. 2. Against 2p per litre increase in fuel price. 3. MP's expenses should be abolished. Sixty grand a year salary is more than sufficient. 4. MP's pensions should be identical to the state pension.
Posted by Mark Nightingale, 14:29, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
1. Economy will probably not be on way back up by end of year 2. For 2p increase in fuel price, but only if fuel duty is invested into public transport infrastructure.
Posted by Richard Bragg, 14:35, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I can't see the economy bouncing back and it shouldn't be simply about getting folk back to spending. Don't borrow on what doesn't appreciate (unless you really, really need to). Don't spend just to keep up with the Jones. Why should middle income folk pay for the mismanagement of bankers and financiers? Why should we also pay for the won't workers? (The can't work are a different matter.) Won't work, don't eat.
2p on a litre of fuel is not a good idea. It really only hits those least able to pay like most general taxes.
Posted by Chris Jones, 14:48, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
1. I think the IMF forecast of roughly 0 growth next year is much more likely than the government forecast. It amazes me that the government keep putting out such optimistic forecasts, no-one believes them and it just makes them look dishonest.
2. Fuel duty rise is a good idea. Obviously no-one likes taxes but the unfortunate truth is that we no longer have a choice between tax rises or cuts in public spending. It's both or bankruptcy. Given this and our commitment to reducing our climate emissions, a rise in fuel duty seems very sensible. I don't see any reason to ring fence the money for public transport either.
Posted by karen anderson, 19:56, Thu 23 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I think the IMF forecast is more reliable and suspect that we have much more bad news and years of negative repercussions down the line.
2p on petrol is pretty inevitable but possibly only a start. Its very bad news for some people with high transport costs and I feel sorry for them.
I hope that we can protect our education and health services as much as possiible. That's where the money is really needed.
I'm fully in favour of the higher tax band and disgusted to hear of high-earners looking for further ways to avoid their tax obligations. They argue that because they are high earners they already contribute more ... as if it's their god-given right to be rich, rather than fate landing them in a pot of gold rather than the dung heap where most of us fall!
Posted by Robin & Gerrry Tuff, 08:06, Fri 24 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
We cannot see any reason to believe that the economy will revive by the end of the year. State involvement will not resolve the problem and will produce more 3 legged dogs. 2p on petrol is insignificant compared to the way fuel prices swing up and down and not worth worrying about. Reducing state spending and bureaucracy should be the priority.
Posted by Ian Hassall, 16:50, Fri 24 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
On the economy, I don't see why I shouldn't guess like everyone else is, even though I don't, and can't, know what will happen. My guess is that it won't recover as forecast - it will start to recover on Feb 19th, at about 11.15.
2p on petrol is lost in the general fuel price instability, so if it tops up the coffers, good. Do we know what 2p per litre yields per annum?
Posted by Keith Davies, 20:26, Fri 24 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I think the Chancellor is being over-optimistic and I don't see things on the way up this year.
I find it difficult to comment on one revenue raising item; one way or another we are going to pay more tax, I wish they would just come out and say so.
Posted by Peter Griffin, 10:44, Sat 25 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
1)I don't think that recovery will start until early 2010. General confidence in the financial situation seems to be even more important than the actual reality of the situation, and that still hasn't happened. 2)The increase in fuel tax at this juncture is wrong. BUT tax increases are inevitable in the future if the Government is to repay the enormous borrowing it has undertaken. I'm no financial expert, but I can see a balancing act is needed; small tax increases in short term while people are concerned about their dwindling finances, and larger increases in future when the economy stars to improve. PLUS much stricter control of financial institutions to kerb their risk and greed strategies
Posted by Veronica Hill, 10:16, Tue 28 April 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Who are they kidding? Of course the economy is not going to be on the way up and even if there is a slight improvement what needs to be remembered is that at some point we are going to have to pay back all this ludicrous borrowing. Surely all those super intelligent bods in the financial industry and the government could see where we were heading but greed just got the better of all of them - didn't it? Just like MP's who put porn on their expenses - the public at large think they are a joke.
As for 2p on petrol - there is only one way petrol is going and that's up. Again we are sitting ducks, as we all love our cars - environment issues or not, tax or not. It's a sure bet that no one is going to stop buying it.
Posted by Mark Oaten, 17:06, Wed 6 May 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Thanks everyone who got back in touch - either on here or emailing me direct.
Its quite obvious most of us are pessimistic about the prospects of the economy recovering as quickly as suggested in the budget. On fuel duty there are opinions going both ways - but one common theme is that whether there are tax rises or not on fuel we need to improve public transport and services.
What i propose to do is keep up this format. Maybe post a topic for discussion every few weeks or so. Although obviously it is not scientific - the questions are just there as a general guide and im not trying to lead the answers.
Mark