UK Budget 2015 Has Tax Breaks, Pension Reforms And Cheaper Beer

Osborne Takes Another Penny Off A Pint In Budget Full Of Sweeteners
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George Osborne made his final pitch to voters with a handout to savers and first time buyers as he declared Britain could finally "walk tall again" after the years of austerity.

In his final Budget before the May 7 poll, the Chancellor announced a new personal allowance which would mean 95% of all savers savers would pay no tax on their savings.

And he said that he was creating a new help-to-buy ISA which would see the Government add £50 to every £200 first-time buyers put away towards a deposit.

He confirmed tax cuts via a rise in personal allowances, cut beer, cider and spirit duties, and again scrapped the fuel duty rise.

And the Chancellor said the "the sun is starting to shine" as he said the period of austerity would end a year earlier than forecast.

But Labour leader Ed Miliband, responding to the Budget speech, said there had never been such a large gap between the Chancellor's rhetoric and the reality of people's lives.

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George Osborne delivers his fifth and last budget before the election at Westminster today

He condemned Mr Osborne for failing to mention investment in the NHS or public services.

And he told MPs: "This is a Budget people won't believe from a Government that is not on their side - because of their record, because of their instinct, because of their plans for the future."

But the Chancellor claimed the Government's economic strategy was paying off.

To Tory cheers he announced that he would meet his promise made in 2010 that debt would be falling as share of national income by the end of the parliament.

He said that a combination of lower welfare bills, falling interest rates, and further sales for the bailed out banks meant borrowing was set to fall faster than forecast.

"The hard work and sacrifice of the British people has paid off. The original debt target I set out in my first Budget has been met," he said.

"We will end this parliament with Britain's national debt share falling. The sun is starting to shine - and we are fixing the roof.

"Because the national debt share is falling a year earlier than forecast at the Autumn Statement - the squeeze on public spending ends a year earlier too.

"In the final year of this decade, 2019-20, public spending will grow in line with the growth of the economy.

"We can do that while still running a healthy surplus to bear down on our debt."

In a nod to the May 7 poll, he said Britain was facing a "critical choice" as he highlighted economic successes.

Mr Osborne said the Office for Budget had ticked up its growth forecast for this year - to 2.5% compared to the 2.4% it was predicting at the time of the Autumn Statement in December.

Growth will also be slightly higher next year at 2.3% as against a previous forecast of 2.2%, he said.

He told MPs: "Today, I report on a Britain that is growing, creating jobs and paying its way. We took difficult decisions in the teeth of opposition and it worked - Britain is walking tall again."

He said that after a collapse greater than almost any country five years ago, in the last year the UK has grown faster than any other major advanced economy.

He went on: "Five years ago, millions of people could not find work. Today, I can report: more people have jobs in Britain than ever before.

"Five years ago, living standards were set back years by the Great Recession. Today, the latest projections show that living standards will be higher than when we came to office.

"Five years ago, the deficit was out of control. Today, as a share of national income it is down by more than a half."

And he added: "The critical choice facing the country now is this: do we return to the chaos of the past? Or do we say to the British people, let's go on working through the plan that is delivering for you?"

He said the OBR was predicting that debt as a share of GDP will fall from 80.4% in 2014-15 to 71.6% in 2019-20.

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George Osborne holds the dispatch box containing the 2015 budget as he stands with members of the Treasury team outside 11 Downing Street

Mr Osborne said that, under the new personal savings allowance, the first £1,000 earned in interest would be completely tax-free - abolishing savings tax for 17 million people.

"People have already paid tax once on their money when they earn it. They shouldn't have to pay tax a second time when they save it," he said.

"At a stroke we create tax-free banking for almost the entire population."

He said the new help-to-buy ISA would be accompanied by a new "fully flexible ISA" giving savers complete freedom to take money out, and put it back in later in the year, without losing any of their tax-free entitlement.

Together with the plans to allow pensioners to cash in their annuities, he said the Government was conducting a "savings revolution".

As expected, he said the personal tax-free allowance will go up to £10,800 next year, rising to to £11,000 the year after.

And he said that, for the first time in seven years, the higher rate tax threshold would go up by more than inflation, rising from £42,385 this year to £43,300 by 2017-18.

The Chancellor also offered some pre-election cheer for the regions, including a £1.3 billion support package for the North Sea industry, struggling from the impact of falling world oil prices.

He said a provisional agreement had been struck to allow Greater Manchester to keep 100% of the additional growth in local business as part of the Government's drive to build a "Northern powerhouse".

A similar deal was being offered to councils in Cambridge and the surrounding area, while the Midlands would benefit from a £60 million investment in the new energy research accelerator

The South West will get a new rail franchise, bringing new intercity express trains, while Wales would see the Severn Crossing toll rates cut, with the higher band for vans and buses abolished altogether.

Budget 2015: The Main Points
An end to austerity! Eventually.(01 of10)
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The squeeze on public spending is to end a year earlier than planned, so that in 2019/20, spending will grows in line with the growth of the economy - bringing state spending as a share of national income to the same level as in 2000. (credit:goir via Getty Images)
A penny off a pint (again)(02 of10)
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Beer duty will be cut for the third year in a row and wine duty will be frozen. (credit:nitrub via Getty Images)
Millions to get a tiny tax cut(03 of10)
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Personal tax allowance will go up to £10,800, from £10,600, next year and £11,000 the year after. Osborne says this is a tax cut for 27 million people. The 40p income tax threshold will be upped to £43,300 in 2017-8, up from £42,385. (credit:maybefalse via Getty Images)
ISA, ISA baby(04 of10)
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There will be help for first time property buyers and savers with subsidised ISAs to help get people on the property ladder and the first £1,000 of interest will be tax-free.
The annual savings limit for ISA ill be increased to £15,240 and a fully flexible ISA will be created. New Help to Buy ISA for first-time buyers that allows the government to top-up by £50 every £200 saved for a deposit.
From April, next year, a new personal savings allowance will mean first £1,000 of interest on savings will be tax-free.
(credit:Dhb-photography via Getty Images)
The end of the annual tax return (Yes, we knew that already)(05 of10)
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We already knew this but the Chancellor announced the abolition of the annual tax return. "People should be working for themselves, not the taxman," he says. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
The worst will pay more to the best(06 of10)
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Another £75 million will be taken from Libor fines, paid by misbehaving banks, and given to charities for military regiments that fought in Afghanistan. The government will also pay towards a permanent memorial to those who died in the wars Afghanistan and Iraq and help to renovate the Battle of Britain memorials. (credit:Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
More tax from people with big pensions(07 of10)
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The pension pot lifetime allowance - the amount you can receive in pension payments without incurring an extra tax charge - will be reduced from £1.25m to £1m from next year, which is expected to save £600 million a year. (credit:Rosemary Calvert via Getty Images)
Praise the Lord! More money for church roof repair(08 of10)
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In The Autumn Statement, Osborne announced a £15 million fund for repairing church roofs. But it's so oversubscribed, it's going to be trebled. (credit:Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
The 'Google Tax'(09 of10)
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Osborne confirmed a tax on "diverted profits" will into effect in April. It will apply on multinational firms that make money in the UK but move profits offshore.
(credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Inheritence tax avoidance probe(10 of10)
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Osborne announced that a review of avoidance of inheritance tax through "deeds of variation" would be conducted and report back in Autumn. Deeds of variation allow changes to be made to a person's will within two years of their death, provided all the beneficiaries agree.
It follows accusations Ed Miliband and his brother David avoided tax this way after the death of their father.
(credit:eric1513 via Getty Images)