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In my view Mr Hammond took a bit of a gamble with his giveaway budget. Higher than expected tax receipts allowed him some wriggle room, but I still think it was highly political, pandering to the Tory party and a future election (which I am a member of, by the way!). I would have preferred a more cautious budget, bearing in mind the uncertainties of Brexit and the deterioration in global trade, caused in part by Mr Trump!
Two areas of particular disappointment for me were:
- The deferment of the plastic tax to 2022. This is poor judgement in my humble opinion. We export over 66% of our waste plastic abroad, mainly because we do not have the capacity at home to recycle. The recyclers need major encouragement to allow them to invest and by taxing plastics with less than 30% waste (within), would have given the recycling industry a much needed boost. As a country we need more plastic recyclers to cut the levels of export and to protect the land and marine environment (one follows the other).
- Schools in this country need more money. If we fund schooling properly and allow teachers to teach, thereby giving our children real chances in life ( to follow their dreams), we won’t need to invest so heavily in the other public services, because they will take greater care of themselves and the environment!
All for now