GULPING Gordon Brown’s last minute Budget proclamation that the Stalinist/Socialist/Thatcherite (delete where applicable) would cut income tax by a whole 2p is greeted with unbridled hysteria and near-orgasmic ecstasy by the Mirror.

“Gordon Brown yesterday paved the way for his triumphal march into No 10 by delivering a sensational 2p tax cut that left David Cameron and his cronies reeling” it decries.

However, according to the Guardian, “average earners will be less than £1 a week better off” following Brown’s final budget speech with Lib Dem head honcho Menzies Campbell deriding it as “an income tax cut for the wealthy dressed up as a tax cut for the poor”.

The Mail is eager to highlight the accusations that the tax cut in nothing more than a “tax con”, with the scrapping of the 10p starter rate of income tax and the raising of the ceiling for National Insurance cancelling out the 2p concession.

But most importantly of all to us proles, what about booze and fags? Well, the BBC tells us that ciggies are set to go up by 11p a packet, beer by a penny a pint and wine by 5p a bottle.

Cocaine and cannabis look cheaper…

Posted: 22nd, March 2007 | In: Money. Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0