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On 27 October 2021, the Chancellor delivered his third Budget in conjunction with the Public Spending Review.
Many of the spending announcements had already been leaked to the Press prior to Budget Day and arguably a lot of it was not new money. The Chancellor did however manage to keep a few surprises back for Budget Day.
Low paid workers will welcome the increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) that take effect from April 2022 and the 8% reduction in the Universal Credit income taper. However, the increase in the NLW in conjunction with the 1.25% increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will be additional costs for employers and are likely to add to inflation.
Rishi Sunak continues to have to tread a fine line between raising taxes to start paying down the massive Government borrowings but at the same time stimulate economic recovery and save jobs.
The changes to tonnage tax and air passenger duty appear to be inconsistent with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions.
