How has the budget effected you?

I think Darling and his Treasury pals effected it.

Both. You work it out. And it's "affected".

In message , Colin Trunt writes

Better off.

And I consider that an utter disgrace. This Government has no business making people like me better off at a time of economic crisis.

No change.

WM

What i want to know, is it the cancellers deliberate intention to increase inflation by 2% come November. When Vat returns to 17.5%, thats going to add 2% back onto everything. Yes, I know it went down, so it should just return everything to normal, but it doesn't really, because so many companies changed the vat% but DIDNT change the gross price, thus taking an extra 2% when it went down, and will no doubt take yet another 2% when it goes up in November.

Its the Council Tax which affects me most, not the budget. B.

In message , Retired writes

I finished paying my mortgage a couple of years ago. However, if things keep on going the way they are at the moment, I'm going to have to take out a mortgage to pay my Council Tax. Negative inflation? Bah! Humbug!

Hello "troling" - only it is not a very good effort - it's a reasonable question for both groups - so you fall at the first hurdle.

I don't think it will make much difference to me in the short term.

However I am very worried about all that government borrowing in the medium/long term.

As far as this year's finances goes - fairly neutral as the rise in personal allowances is probably cancelled out by the rise in alcohol & petrol tax.

But that misses the point - it's a bit like asking if you're better off if you earn a tenner or are lent a tenner. You still have the same money in both cases, but in the latter case one day you'll need to repay the tenner. Except we're taking hundreds of billions in the case of the budget.

So things may be fairly neutral for most people now, but soon we'll all be paying heavily for this government's debt for many years and even decades.

How has it made you better off if you don't mind me asking?

Indeed - and fuel, and the water which went up quite a bit this year.

Apparently worse off. That is acording to an online checker we are 170 a year worse off. Takes the winter fuel allowance down to 80 although we *may* qualify for pension credits.

Francis

Is this the Guardian's Legal Correspondent or their Financial Correspondent reporting?

;-)

I'm apparently £30 better off, but that doesn't take the drop in interest rates into account, which makes me about £1000 worse off.

I presume primarily from the income tax allowances going up.

In message , Judith Smith writes

This was definitely not with my legal hat on! :)

In message , Andy Pandy writes

That's why I think it is a disgrace that the budget leaves me better off. We would pay less in interest servicing the debt, and/or suffer less cuts to services, if they put my taxes up now.