The pre budget report

[Two_Sheds]

You've got to feel sorry for these people (in y'day's Times):
Mrs A was made redundant ... it has been a real strain on the family ... they now have to look at making big savings. [Daughter] goes to private school at a cost of �9,000 a year, and they've had to cancel their twice-yearly holidays to Turkey where they have an apartment. They are having to sell off some investments and dip into savings. Mr A might have to sell off his stamp collection.

[bubblewrap]

And a little song for the poorer of us
YouTube - Billy Bragg-Red Flag

[di]

Aaahh!!Maybe we could all have a whip round for Mr & Mrs A!!!You've just got to think of how much those poor little kiddies will be missing out at Christmas!!...
We've got mates that have a rather bulging savings account(which I have no problem with...good on them!),however,it does get to me when they make out how poor they are & don't know how they're going to get through the credit crunch!....she has managed to cut her weekly shopping bill from almost �200 down to just below �150!

[piskieinboots]

I have a pal who earns �400 a day - A DAY!! no one can ever be THAT good

[nelliegemini]

They're not, they're raising the duty to compensate.

I've figured that out now Great that whilst the VAT reduction is only temporary, the duty rise is permanent.

[bluemoon]

Is anyone really going to walk into a shop and think 'Ooh, couldn't afford that when it was a tenner, but now it's �9.75 I simply MUST have it'?

[shirlthegirl43]

Can't see the changes making much difference to our household.

Would love to know though - if our younger son got free school meals when we only got children's tax credit, how come the council stopped them when our income dropped sufficiently for Madmax to be awarded working tax benefit? Got me baffled!

[jackie j]

No change here then dont suppose anyone will benefit really. Now if you are a single parent with a child over 12 you have to find a job as you wont get income support any more. What you supposed to do in the holidays etc leave them on their own ? cos not many jobs will allow you to mess them around every six weeks or so. My daughter is 12 and I am not a single parent but I dont like leaving her on her own for very long.
Better fit they reduced income tax that way everybody would be better off.
More children left to wander the streets and get up to no good. What kids need is someone at home looking after them not an absent parent and latch key kids thats taking a step back surley.

[lynda66]

ahhhh but apparently kids over 12 can look after themselves ...... unless they burn the house down ....... then you're held liable for neglect

[MaureenHall]

Wow, does it mean that instead of spending �25 a week on my supermarket shopping, I can now have an extra 63p? Does it heck, food isn't VAT-ed is it!!

[lynda66]

nope maureen it's not ........ chocolate is though

[Alice]

The answers are just about what I expected. I can't see anything that is going to do anything to help the economy in there. It looks like �20 billion frittered in 2 pence pieces to me.

[Capsid]

BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: The PBR and you

You cynical lot. Most of us will be better off. You also get the added benefit of that extra cash going further because prices are falling.

[lynda66]

well i can't see where i'll be better off capsid ....... my incapacity won't go up, and i can't afford to go out and spend loads of cash on big items to save the vat in the first place, have enough problems paying my bills .......... tobacco will go up which will wipe out anything i save on shopping (my one vice, unless you count choccie) .... I no longer have a dependent child...... so unless i give up smoking ....... how can i be any better off??

[Mrs Dobby]

Yep, I've gained, a whole lot, 17500 price labels to change during one of the busiest periods of business! I worked it out that IF we could manage to change 3 labels a minute (not likely), then it should only take about 250 hours of staff time to do it!

250 hours of time wasted just to change the prices that will be going back up in 2009, 250 hours that will cost me in excess of �1600 in wages (at base rate and national minimum wage) just to get the price changes done, which means I'd have to take an extra �256000 in sales just to cover that cost with current profit margins!

Thats IF I am allowed to spend any money on extra staff, which with our current sales performance is highly unlikely, so instead we'll probably have to attempt to do it in addition to trying to run the store, serve customers, fit everything and do all the normal tasks that we struggle to do already!

Great news for the business, NOT!!