[Caroline and Dave]

Well, the budget has just been announced.
What is your opinion of it? It would be interesting to hear how you think this will effect you, if at all. The last UK budget left low income earners far worse off although as far as I understand the govt in UK have now had to make a few adjustments.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501935&objectid=10511804

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

On the face of it, it looks pretty good to be honest, and quite farly distributed.

Better benefits to the lower paid and more cash from the family tax credit system too.

Good to see more cash going towards improving broadband access across the nation too.

[James 1077]

Seems a bit rubbish to me; tax is still too high for a civilised nation and they have this bizarre idea (a bit like the UK's) that taking money off people and then giving it straight back to them through benefits / tax credits is a reasonable use of taxpayer's money and resources.

Far better to work out what the minimum income an individual requires to survive is and then start taxing anything above that amount.

That said a tax cut is a tax cut so better than nothing! :)

[kanatakiwi]

Seems a bit rubbish to me; tax is still too high for a civilised nation and they have this bizarre idea (a bit like the UK's) that taking money off people and then giving it straight back to them through benefits / tax credits is a reasonable use of taxpayer's money and resources.

:)


Name me one nation that doesn't do that!!

that said, I thought it was pretty well balanced, attempting to bring some relief to education, health, infrastructure, and environmental iniatives, while helping low and middle income earners. It is an election year so expect a lot of nonsense back and forth among the various parties, but when you take the electioneering out of it, I am not displeased with the budget.

[Alive&Kicking]

I would have been so much happier when they had used this amount of money to improve health care and education - that's what everyone needs in this country!

But that doesn't give you any votes in the upcoming elections.


Cheers

[Moorf]

*yawn* not much of a budget considering there's an election on the horizon tbh

[Questor]

Don't shoot me for this, but I'd like to see those of us WITHOUT kids get something for once - seems to me that those who have kids get much more benefit...

I'll get back in me hole now....
Jon

[nippa&pippa]

:D for me
My situation is same as this family on the close up programme, lower income with three young children while husband work and mother stay at home, everything is same, money, kids etc. So we got increase in working for families tax credit.

[Moorf]

Don't shoot me for this, but I'd like to see those of us WITHOUT kids get something for once - seems to me that those who have kids get much more benefit...

I'll get back in me hole now....
Jon

You wrote what I thought... :D wonder if I can register one of the lambs....


.... mind you, the lie ins more than make up for it :laugh

[Caroline and Dave]

[quote=Moorf;209526] wonder if I can register one of the lambs....

[/quote

:laugh

You can always try it, after all, they don't have specsavers here

( For those who don't know, in the UK, if you don't go to spec savers then you're blind as a bat)

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

No tax cuts in any budget ever in my experience are greeted as 'enough' in any country, by anyone.

He appears to have spent within the confines of the countries actual assets and has actually, specifically, put extra (yeah, yeah, not enough I hear you cry) cash aside for health, education, broadband services and local transport infrastructure.

Also it is, as you may have noticed, an election year and he hasn't made any grand electioneering gestures that the following government can't then deliver. e.g. he could have delivered the whole lot in one hit - he didn't, he ensured it was delivered over time in an affordable way.

OK, maybe some of this should and maybe could have been delivered a year or two earlier, but it wasn't and that can't be changed, so all in all I think quite a responsible budget.

Here endeth the BBB lecture....

[incredible hulse]

Don't shoot me for this, but I'd like to see those of us WITHOUT kids get something for once - seems to me that those who have kids get much more benefit...

I'll get back in me hole now....
Jon

Jon - As someone with 3 young kids can honestly say I agree with you 100%. We don't actually get any benefit as I am above the earning threshold but I don't see why taxpayers should subsidise people choice to have sprogs.