Budget 2013
"Much doom and gloom has surrounded today's Budget, with many expecting little in the way of light relief. While the deficit figures were certainly a sore point, there was much in Osborne's speech to commend.
The announcement of the 'employment allowance' means companies in the UK are now able to reduce their National Insurance contributions by £2,000 in a move designed to generate more jobs.
While this won't be of great benefit to big corporations employing large numbers of people, it will certainly help small businesses. For someone setting up their own business, looking to take on their first one or two employees, this will undoubtedly be very welcome.
There was further emphasis on promoting business within the UK with the decision to reduce corporation tax to 20 per cent from April 2015.
This will position the UK as having the lowest corporation tax of any major economy and should help to entice business to our shores.
It's a fairly low cost measure for the government but will hopefully bring in other forms of revenue to the country as businesses opt to base themselves here rather than our European counterparts, and create job opportunities.
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On the subject of tax, I wholeheartedly welcome the decision to clampdown on tax evaders. We must promote a transparent and fair tax system and I believe the "name and shame" regime to be introduced will go some way into deterring people from abusing our system.
Quite rightly, anti-avoidance measures will also help the government to raise £3bn at a time when hardworking citizens struggle to make ends meet.
Finally, I'm in support of the 'Help-to-Buy' scheme, which has been devised to help people get on or move up the property ladder.
Prospective buyers require a five per cent deposit, with a guarantee that the Government will offer a further 20 per cent equity loan on new build homes worth up to £600,000.
Furthermore, the offer of a Mortgage Guarantee is a positive step, offering the chance for many people to take out a bigger mortgage with a small deposit.
Many people struggle to get their foot on the property ladder, especially in times of deep economic turmoil, so I believe the creation of this scheme is a move in the right direction and should provide our housing market with a boost."
Carl Lamb, Financial Planner at Almary Green.
