A comment on the BBC website, and a reply to it shown below.

BBC website: http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jsp...=20070322163928

To all those who are saying that it isn't fair that those on low incomes are going to have to pay more. Last month I paid £3500 in tax!!!

How much more do you want me to pay to support the sick, lame & lazy!!!

[Kettering_Jeremy], Kettering. England.

Lucky you! I'm sure you have to sacrifice something to earn that much.
Stop insulting the lower income earners, some of us have to start at the bottom to get to the top!

Canuck Fan, Hants., United Kingdom

I tried the calculator to determine the effects on me.
I will be £175 a year worse off.

Anyone who has to retire early due to ill-health needs to worry about their funding for future years!

Budget 2007 – the key points
Tax
· Corporation tax cut from 30 per cent to 28 per cent from April 2008.
· Small companies tax rate to increase from 19 per cent to 22 per cent by April 2009.
· Basic rate of income tax falls to 20p in the £ from 22p from April 2008. The lower
starting rate of 10p is to be scrapped.
· Top-rate income tax threshold rises to £43,000 from £38,000 from April 2009.
Enterprise
· First-year capital allowances will be replaced by an Annual Investment Allowance
(AIA) of £50,000 for all firms.
· R&D tax credit for SMEs to increase from 150 per cent to 175 per cent in April 2008.
· Tax relief on empty business property is to be restricted to six months and to three
months on empty retail and office space.
· Business Premises Renovation Allowance for firms that incur expenditure on the
renovation of business premises on or after 11 April 2007
Transport and environment
· Excise duty on the most heavily polluting vehicles rises to £300 this year and to £400
in 2008.
· Tax on petrol rises by 2p a litre in October, followed by another 2p in 2008 and 1.8p
in 2009.
· Landfill tax to rise by £8 a year from April 2008
Skills and training
· Up to £3,000 available for employers to train staff requiring basic skills.
For more information on the 2007 Budget visit the HM Treasury website
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget_07/bud_bud07_index.cfm
For