BUDGET SPECIAL

There is no disputing that we face a very challenging economic outlook at present. But I'm not one of those who believes we should talk down our country; for that you need to go and listen to the Conservatives.

It's far too early to talk about green shoots of recovery especially if you're someone who has lost their job, had your hours cut back, are struggling to get finance for your business or to keep paying your rent or mortgage.

That's why, in the Budget, the Government focussed on action to support employment, to help savers and families with children, to support pensioners and to help people manage their finances, including:

• A guaranteed job, training or work placement for all 18-24 year olds who are unemployed for 12 months to ensure no young person is saddled with long-term unemployment;
• An additional payment on top of this year’s Winter Fuel Payment worth £100 for households with someone aged over 80 and £50 for households with someone over 60;
• An increase in the annual cap on ISAs to £10,200, up to £5,100 of which can be saved in cash. These higher limits will be available to people aged 50 and over from 6 October 2009 and available to all from 6 April 2010;
• An increase to the Child Tax Credit of an additional £20 a year above inflation from April 2010, providing valuable support to families with children;
• An increase in the level of statutory redundancy pay, making the weekly rate £380.

These are all really important measures - and I single out the action to keep young people off the scrapheap. Because one of the big legacies we're still dealing with today is the dependency culture the Conservatives created in the 1980s and 1990s when they destroyed jobs and threw people onto long-term benefits with no hope or expectation that they would ever get off them.

Today, times are unmistakeably tough but we're saying that we're not giving up on young people finding work - and nor are we going to allow young people to give up on themselves.

Published and promoted by Adam Gray on behalf of Stuart King, both of 35 Felsham Road, Putney, London SW15 1AY

KEY POINTS

No-one on less than £100k will pay more Income Tax
Asking those who can most afford it to help a little more when times are tough is a quintessential British value Click here

More help for homeowners
The Budget's Homeowners Mortgage Support scheme will keep thousands more families in their homes Click here

A budget to cut carbon emissions and boost car manufacturing
Grants of up to £5,000 to trade in an old car and go electric Click here

Independent experts call VAT cut a success
Six months on, Labour's reduction in VAT is being recognised by all except the Tories as having a positive impact Click here

To unsubscribe from Stuart's newsletter send a blank email from the account it was sent to, to
news-unsubscribe@stuartking.net.