Suffolk: Reaction To The Budget

Petrol prices will still go up, cigarettes will cost more and the highest earners will pay less tax.

The Chancellor's been outling his plans for the country's economy for the next year.

From April 2013 we won't be paying tax on the first  £9,205  - something George Osborne says will help working families and make us £220 better off a year because of it.

High earners will also be paying less tax - a cut from 50 to 45 pence. 

However, there will be no reduction in the planned 3p fuel duty increase this summer.

Alcohol prices will stay the same - but from 6pm tonight, a packet of cigarettes will increase by 37p. 

George Osborne said: "There is clear evidence that increasing the cost of tobacco encourages smokers to quit and discourages young people from taking it up."

Ipswich MP Ben Gummer's idea to send out a breakdown statement of exactly where you tax goes has also been accepted and will come in in 2014.

Anthony Burrell from LB Chartered Accountants who are based in Ipswich is telling Heart that families will benefit now the amount before we pay tax has gone up: 

"If you have a family situation where both mother and father work, they're £440 a year better off between them. It's going to be more money in the bank and it'll help pay for things like the fuel increase of course."

Anthony Burrell From LB Group On The Tax Announcement

In today’s Budget the Chancellor George Osborne also announced, as part of wider measures to reduce tax avoidance, a commitment to bring the taxation of bookmakers back onshore.

Closing this tax loophole has been a priority for Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, who has fought for such a proposal in order to address a what he calls a chronic decline in the funding of the British horseracing industry. 

Commenting on the announcement Matthew said:

“I am delighted that today the Chancellor has announced that he will be taking forward the proposal I have introduced to Parliament to bring gambling back onshore and tackle the offshore tax loophole.

This will create a level playing field for the gambling industry and crucially because onshore operators pay full Levy, it is the first step towards a sustainable financial future for racing.

It still needs legislation and I will keep pushing in Parliament until we see this commitment made law. “

Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley Reacts To The Budget