very positive, needs to be done otherwise UKPLC will be bust, not too happy about myself getting a 2 year pay freeze when public sector workers never get inflation matching pay rises - ever, so our wages are very low, £21k was far too low, looks like I will have to pay more into my public sector (supposedly gold plated one) pension too which I can live with. But banks haven't been hit hard enough and they still have our money and I bet they are getting pay rises. Some other things which I am happy with too and about time.

No rise on alcohol wooo

No income to tax 7500 now?

odd didn't hit alchohol et all

The fuel rises that were planned under Labour are still going to happen but no further ones after that. Quite chuffed at the income tax and the corporation tax because that means my dad's bills will lower.

How about cancer sticks??

They make them £10 per pack??

Cancer sticks?

Oh yea corporation tax down 1% which helps with our business

I'm quite pleased. A few question marks in there though. Will have to wait to see exactly how it will effect us.

Its late, what do you expect...

fags not been touched.
if i earn around 20k, will the tax thresh-hold change help me out?

yes i think it helps everyone out by about £170 a year

Bascially on the £7500 you earn now there is no tax was about £6500 before

I think we all realised that taxes were going to have to rise, so it could have been a lot worse.

Just to note on a couple of points though:

Firstly, although the personal allowance for income tax is rising, they've also decided to stick with Labour's previous plan to increase employees National Insurance contributions from 10% to 11% next April. This has the same effect as if Income Tax had risen by 1%, and so for many people this will wipe out any gains they get from the increased tax allowance.

Secondly, it's good that no further rises in fuel duty beyond the 2p that it was already due to increase by before the end of the year, however the VAT increase will, at todays prices, add another 4p to fuel, therefore by next January we'll be paying an extra 6p for litre for petrol.

Personally, I'm more nervous about what will come from the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year. The company I work for runs a massive contract for the government, and we're already planning on making 200 people redundant in August with another 800 in the autumn due to funding constraints meaning we have to defer work we'd been contracted to do. If the planned 25% spending cut for each government department follows through to our contract then there could be some iffy times ahead.