Presented by Tom Clark and produced by Phil Maynard 

Budget 2011 podcast: George Osborne goes for growth

Larry Elliott, Martin Kettle, Polly Toynbee and Tom Clark discuss the budget announcement from chancellor George Osborne
  
  


George Osborne claims his budget will get Britain's stuttering economy growing again. In his Commons speech, he pointed to a cut in corporation tax, a penny off the cost of petrol and business-friendly changes in planning laws. But in the course of his hour-long address to MPs, he was forced to downgrade growth figures for this year and next - a move that was pounced on by Labour leader Ed Miliband.

To discuss what the chancellor claimed was a "fiscally neutral" budget we have in the studio the Guardian's economics editor, Larry Elliott, and columnists Martin Kettle and Polly Toynbee.

The budget raises several questions. Does a change in the way tax allowances are calculated amount to a "stealth tax"? Will a cut in fuel duty be enough to ease the financial pain on households? And will the government really be able to raise £1bn by targeting tax avoiders?

Leave your thoughts below.

This is a joint edition of The Business podcast and Politics Weekly.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*