Independent Trustee Company Blog

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

10 years ago we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Now we have no jobs, no hope and no cash!


Budget 2012 - Expectation Management 


by Aidan McLoughlin, ITC



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The key theme of this year’s budget has been “EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT”.

What was normally a 3 hour event has been converted into a 3 day saga. Key features of this exercise have been:

·         to prepare the population for bad news (through an unprecedented level of kite flying as well as assistance from the German Parliament), and
·        
to ensure the previous government could clearly be shown to be responsible for the current crisis and that this government will “retrieve our economic sovereignty”.

Initial impressions are that the government has achieved some success in regard to damage limitation – “not as bad as we thought” seems to be the most common response.

Our economic sovereignty is more uncertain: the fact that we need to hear from the Germans probably emphasises where we are on this point.

Whilst the Budget is generally bleak and everyone will be a little worse off, there are some small points of hope – the increase in mortgage interest relief for first time buyers, the reduction on stamp duty on commercial property, the adjustment of the Universal Social Charge.

Equally there will be relief as regards changes that didn’t happen: tax relief for pension contributions and loss relief for capital taxes are two areas where audible sighs of relief were heard.

People will be glad to be still surviving, but the end line is still a long way off. Without offending the present government I would suggest the clear theme is perhaps “a lot done, more to do”.

For our view on other aspects of the budget, please click here


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