Alistair Darling gives PBR from "Position of Strength" - Poster.

Nick Robinson has a go at Alistair Darling.

At last BBC Journalist has had a decent go at a government minister. Nick Robinson asked Alistair Darling some probing questions and at times was pretty aggressive, accusing Darling of being dishonest. Of course Darling dodged all the question in a style we've become accustomed to from watching Brown during PMQs. No matter how hard Nick tries, Darling will not use the C word.

50% Tax rate - poll results.

Yesterday I asked if David Cameron should oppose the 50% tax rate. Here's the result:

Not a massive turnout, but I would imagine that most of those voting were party members. I would call Brown's bluff on this. The people will see through this cynical tax, just like they did with the Tory Toff campaign.

Quote of the day: A 50% tax special.

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."

George Bernard Shaw.

Should Cameron oppose the 50% tax rate?

Vote HERE.

George Osborne's video response to Darling's Budget.

Vote: Should David Cameron oppose the 50% tax?

Here are my thoughts on the 50% tax on those earning over £150,000. What do you think?

Should David Cameron oppose the 50% tax?
	Yes
	No
pollcode.com free polls

David Cameron - Oppose the 50% tax rate.

David Cameron should strongly oppose and promise to scrap the 50% tax rate for those earning over £150,000.

It is a typical Labour gimmick and the public are sick of their spin and lies. The 50% tax rate will raise about £1bn, which is less than the increase in fuel duty will raise. Compared to the £600bn Darling is going to borrow over the next four years, the gains from this politically motivated tax hike are a drop in the ocean. Do the public really want to see the country's money makers used has political pawns by Labour? Do they really want to see our highfliers driven abroad?

This is the Tory Toff campaign all over again and I believe the public won't fall for it. In fact I think they will be repulsed by more of Labour's cynical class politics.

UPDATE: I've just had another thought - just watch what this tax rate will do to charity incomes. I'm sure many paying 50% tax will say that they are already doing their bit and stop giving.

(No I don't earn anywhere near £150,000).

The Budget - What a pack of lies and spin.

This has got to be the worst budget on record (In fact, I've just realised that I'm shaking my head as I'm typing this).

The 50% tax rate for those earning over £150,000 will raise less than a billion pounds compared to the £175bn the government are going to borrow this year alone. It's a gimmick, it's electioneering and it's going to drive high earners (along with their businesses) abroad. Most of the extra money raised by Darling this year will not be coming from rich, but from the rest of us through a rise in tax on fuel, fags and booze. I think Labour have made a serious mistake introducing this 50% rate. Already the BBC are pointing out that it will raise next to nothing and will only alienate the money makers. In other words it's spin, and I think it will backfire like the Tory Toff campaign.

Like all Labour budgets it gets less palatable the longer you chew it over. They say they are "investing in growth", when they are actually making cuts to public services. They want us to believe these are not cuts but efficiency savings. If there are billions to be saved by making departments more efficient, then just how incompetent are the clowns running them? Apparently £3bn of "efficiency savings will be coming from the health and education budgets. Saying these would not be touched was yet one more lie.

And the debt... the debt.

My predictions for Alistair Darling's Budget (2009).

My predictions are not going to be specific, they are just going to be outline of the budget as a whole:

1. Tax reductions, increases in tax credits, giveaways to the shiftless and further borrowing/spending in general will all happen now.

2. All tax increases (apart from the stealth ones) and spending cuts (sorry - efficiency savings) will take place from 2010 onwards i.e. after the General election, making them Cameron's problem.

3. You will hear the world "Global" many, many times.

4. That's it.

This budget is going to be a farce. We won't see a real budget until after the general election.

Quote of the day: A budget Special.

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."

George Bernard Shaw.

I think that sums up tomorrow's budget nicely.

Darling's Budget - The biggest Labour lie to date?

Wednesday will show us just how low Gordon Brown and his puppet Chancellor, Alistair Darling, are willing to stoop. If Darling really wants to save the economy, he has no choice but to cut spending and/or introduce major tax increases.

Alistair has already leaked to the press (leaks are OK when they're doing the leaking) that he is going to cut £15bn from Whitehall spending. Wow £15bn, sounds a lot doesn't it? It is, but unfortunately it is just a drop in the ocean compared to the likely to be announced borrowing figure of £160bn. Not only that, but these cuts are planned in for 2010-2012 (i.e. after the general election). Obviously this means that Brown and Darling are in fact cutting absolutely, positively nothing. They won't make cuts before an election and they most definitely will not raise taxes. They will put their jobs before economy and country, all for a few more years feeding at the trough.

I think it's pretty obvious that if this were to be the first budget of a new term in office, then any Chancellor worth their salt would be both cutting spending and raising taxes. They are betting that they can just hang on to power if they don't make the real cuts needed - or raise taxes sufficiently. It's a win-win situation: If their do nothing (before the election) policy works, then they get a few more years in power, but if they lose the general election, all the debt is David Cameron's problem. It's the last throw of the dice, and Labour are willing to gamble with our lives.

What I want to know is: if Whitehall is inefficient to the tune of £15bn, why can't these cuts be made now? And perhaps more importantly - why have they been allowed to become so massively inefficient? Why has nothing been done before now? I think you know why.

Maybe Labour's cheerleader J.K. Rowling has been helping write the budget: Alistair Darling and the budget of imaginary cuts.

Axe the Beer Tax - 48 hours to save the Pub.

From Axe the Beer Tax:

MPs and celebrities rally in support of the Great British pub and oppose plans to increase beer tax

Almost two thirds of the public agree that increasing beer tax will lead to more pub closures, according to a new poll published today by the Axe the Beer Tax, Save the Pub campaign.

And nine in ten people believe that, in terms of his overall tax policy, the Chancellor should be seeking to freeze or lower taxes in this week’s Budget.

The poll is published as the beer and pub industry warns there are only “48 hours to save the pub” as a result of Government plans to increase beer tax by 2% above inflation for the next four years. This comes after beer tax was increased by 18% in 2008 alone.

Earlier polls have shown that 70% of the public and 59% of MPs are opposed to increases in beer tax at a time when six pubs a day are closing and thousands of jobs are being lost in the beer and pub industry.

The Axe the Beer Tax, Save the Pub campaign is this morning holding an event with supporters and celebrities at the Red Lion pub in Westminster only yards from HM Treasury – and a delegation of MPs will be presenting a signed postcard to protest at the Government’s plans.

The campaign – jointly sponsored by the Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale - has won 70,000 supporters since it was launched late last year.

The main findings of the poll, carried out by ComRes last week, are:

· 90 per cent believe that, in terms of his overall tax policy, the Chancellor should be seeking to either freeze or lower taxes in the forthcoming Budget.

· 64 per cent believe that if he increases beer tax it will put more pressure on pubs and lead to more pub closures

· 60 per cent believe that a beer tax increase will lead to more job losses in the brewing and pub sector.

· 29 per cent say they would be less likely to go to the pub if beer taxes go up.

Responding to the poll, chief executive of the BBPA, David Long, said:

“This poll shows that the public understands the damage that increasing beer tax has on pubs. The Government increased duty by an eye watering 18% last year and pubs are closing at a record rate – at about six a day.

“Such closures have a disastrous effect in terms of jobs and the life of communities. And yet the Chancellor is still planning to impose further increases this week.

“The proposed tax escalator will increase beer tax by 2% above inflation each year for the next four years. Yet it was proposed 12 months ago when earnings were rising and the economy was strong. Today, earnings are falling and consumption of beer in pubs is at its lowest since the Great Depression.

“The budget is just two days away. There are 48 hours to save the pub. Mr Darling must listen to the majority of the public and MPs and recognise that increasing beer tax at this time is wholly unjustified and to do so will be to sign a death warrant for thousands more pubs.”

Alistair Darling's Green Budget (It's 90% recycled).

Alistair Darling will announce his first (and probably last) Budget in a few minutes. I'll try and keep you updated, but you've more than likely heard it all before.

Well Darling has told so many lies I really don't know where to start. He knows that we know he's lying, but he's hoping that Joe Public will fall for it. Darling has postponed the 2p rise in fuel until October, that's just delaying trouble for him, us and industry. What this Budget works out to be is an increase in tax of £1.9bn and a massive amount of borrowing to fill the spending gap. Inflation is claimed to remain around 2% CPI but we all know how much our fuel and other everyday costs have gone up, and it's a damn sight more than 2%. So we are going to be spending more to live and paying more tax. Great.

Cigarettes are to go up by 11p a packet today; five cigars go up by 4p. Beer up by 4p a pint, wine 14p a bottle, spirits 55p a bottle and cider 3p a litre by Sunday. On top of these massive increases, duties on alcohol will go up by 2% above inflation for next four years.

David Cameron hit the nail on the head when he said "you failed to mend the roof while the sun was shining". David also slapped down Ed Balls for some very unsavory heckling during his Budget response.

You can watch the Budget statement by clicking HERE.

And if you missed PMQs click HERE.