Last inflation report tomorrow before the budget.
No doubt the BBC will blow it out of proportion if it goes up slightly n promote Hunt to scrap the tax cuts.
Sure Rishi will tell him otherwise.
2pence of income tax!
Or will they spoil us n raise the tax thresholds as well.

raising of the tax threshold and adding 2p onto the base rate would be a vote winner for me even when i was working. its just what is done with the extra revenue that bothers me.

The tax threshold hold has been frozen until 2025/26, tbh at the end of the day a few pennies is not going to encourage the electorate to vote for the Tories and Labour aren’t helping themselves either. I can see a hung parliament.

The tax threshold is frozen until April 2028, and no announcement to change that has been made. That is not to say that change won't be made. I would like to see it raised significantly. A rise in the tax threshold, alongside the recent 2% reduction in National Insurance and a 2p tax reduction would add up to a lot more than just pennies. It would be a potential vote winner, especially as the inflation rate seems to be a lot less volatile. As a pensioner looking forward to an rise in April worth over twice the rate of inflation plus possible tweaks in the tax situation, I can safely say I am getting a tad happier with my financial situation. Things are certainly getting better and, let's face it, they need to. The fact that opposition Parties are appearing a little more anxious as to what the general affect on the electorate's mood is and which direction it will take, tell us that the smug expectation of a Landslide is waning a bit.

know, but if any party proposes to put a single penny on income tax no matter where they say they,ll use the money is an election loser with most people hating to pay income tax more than anything else. was a reason a lot used to refuse overtime as if they took it all or the biggest amount anyway.

Political Parties have manifestos which they don’t have to keep to, if they have a majority in parliament they can do what they want.

I agree Derwent Labours majority is diminishing, there could be a hung Parliament again.

Just received my notification of my state pension increase. Coupled with the extra the wife is saving on NI contributions and accounting for the extra tax I'll pay, we are just under £1400 better off nett. In December my winter fuel allowance was £500. Not to be sneezed at.
Am I to risk Starmer reducing the Winter fuel allowance and ditching the triple lock.
More carrots from the Chancellor to come maybe, the job's a good un.

All the parties would do and will do at some time ditch the triple lock if they have a majority and a 5 year stint in Parliament although none will mention it before the election.
When it does happen the reason given will be to enable tax cuts to be implemented.

Why would Turkey’s vote for Xmas. We have amongst the worse pensions in Europe.

keep hearing this and it makes me think then we must have the worst wages in europe as i cannot see those on the continent getting more pension than they got in wages when they worked.

Vote for the 1 that makes you better off, Money wise.

Being the ever pessimist they all tell say you are going to better off.

Just received a letter from HMRC saying "Now you are approaching 80......an age addition of 25p per week will be payable.....".

What can I buy with this extra 25p each week. Any suggestions? Keep it clean please.

It's obvious that you save it up every year until your 100 birthday when you will have £260 which in the year 2044 you will be able to buy;

1 Loaf of Bread (Budget of course)
1 Tub of Margerine
1 Packet of Ham
1 Packet of Ginger Biscuits
1 Oxo Cube (To make a drinK)

The change of 34p you can put into the Charity Box.

I have long since stopped taking notice of what politicians promise. I know where I have benefitted or not. The triple lock is the best thing that's happened to the state pension in recent years and whereas it is not riches at least it is an effort to make the pension go further. I would like to see it linked to the minimum wage and a review of the tax pensioners have to pay. Labour is supposed to be the party of the working class. When they start to fulfil that role, if ever, maybe they might consider their responsibility should continue when the workers actually reach retirement age.

Cheer up, if you save it up, you’d have £250 to pay for the stripper at your 100th Birthday Pool Party.

Deffo a few carrots on the way budget day.

Just need to be to cover April's hidden inflation with Council Tax
Broadband
Phone
Water
Shop n Pub price rises to cover NMW £1 an hour rise. (which will create a monumental about of extra tax for the government).

Basically giving us something decent in Budget than gradually clawing it back off us especially if the tax thresholds stay frozen till 2028.

Thing is Labour will say give us 8 years to clear up this mess the Tories created.

Good vibes from Reform.

What will be will be though.

The proof is in the pudding

Have you taken in to account, Inflation.

And all the above food items by then will be synthesized.

why do the majority of pensioners vote tory. for me its over the years that they have given them far more than the labour party ever did. they might once have been for the working class but never really the party for the pensioner. lets enjoy the triple lock while we can as i feel it will be repealed with some bullshit scheme that sounds good but nobody really understands it.

Looking at those two huge by-election defeats think it’s going to take more than a couple of tax cuts for the job to be a good un.

[quote="Rinkender"]Looking at those two huge by-election defeats think it’s going to take more than a couple of tax cuts for the job to be a good un.[/quote.

Unless something dramatic happens The Tories and Reform split vote will ensure a Labour victory. Their collective votes would have won one of them. Maybe the demise of Sunak??????? A Boris comeback perhaps?????.

Mr D. the combined Con & Reform Vote in Wellingborough was 37.6% & even with the Lib Dem vote this only increased to 42.3%, whilst the Lab vote was 45.9%

In the Kingswood vote the combined Con & Reform Vote was 45.3% whilst the Lab Vote was 44.9 but then add in the Lib Dem vote to Lab you get 48.4%.

However way you look at it SUNAK has a good couple of yards of SH*t to get out of before he wins another election.

He has more than a couple of yards to drag back. As I say unless something dramatic happens I don't think he has a chance. The Tory members aren't fully behind him and are turning to Reform or abstaining. Whether or not they stay like that is a matter for them. The rise of Reform is doing untold damage to the Tories and Sunak hasn't found an answer to them as yet. I smell a bit of brinkmanship in the air. He has got to get the Tory vote away from Reform and convincing that vote to return to the fold is not looking a good prospect right now.
I expect the Tory Party to act sooner rather than later but we are getting too close to kick off time for their comfort.
Come on Mr I, it's your party, tell us the mood. Are you heading for a political wipe out or what.

The tax cuts next month :
It's last chance saloon for the tories.
Suicidal for them not to do them with many newscasters predicting they won't happen now due to the IMF interfering.

Starmer saying I won't make any promises regarding raising the tax thresholds which means he won't touch them till 2028.

REFORM saying earn 20k then pay tax making the low paid about £1300 a year better of then a lot better off for them lucky enough to be around the 48k a year wages.
Reform saying it will grow the economy n get the 90% of these lazyites off benefits and make working worthwhile.

The pay structure between not working n working needs to be widened. Simple as.

More taxes for the government.
Less dole to pay out = better services.

Vote Reform.
Well that's my theory.
You can disagree but let's know why.

If there are any promises by HUNT to reduce tax these will not be implemented until April 2025 so effectively useless once the General Election date is given.

Most reports I'm reading indicate a MAY date for this.

Tax cuts will be pennies for the most of us, it will go nowhere to meet the rising cost of living.

Exactly, if everyone drew their money out of a bank at once there wouldn't be enough in to pay out, that's because they use your money elsewhere to make money for themselves, towards their huge bonuses, wages and shareholders, it only shows up in print on a screen but in effect it isn't actually there.....for everyone.
They also force government to pass laws over the years that make it virtually impossible for anyone to open a bank themselves. Also severe punishments for people who launder money as it's competition for them, when in effect they are just money launderers themselves.

They did in 2008, who bailed them out the tax payer !

Just got my tax code for next financial year. I was L159 now dropped to L39 with no difference to my circumstances. That’s a hell of a drop to when I start paying tax.

Contact HMRC

It depends what the tax cuts are does it not. If the reduction in the tax we pay comes from a decent improvement in the tax allowance for instance. The Tories are in grave danger from the growing popularity of Reform. They have to find a way of reducing that popularity and could do a deal by adopting the Reform stance on a better tax allowance. I doubt they would go along with Reform's promise of £20k but could go some way to meeting it and then commit to increasing it by stages over the period of the Parliament. Even though Reform hold the cards over the division of the right leaning vote, I doubt very much if they would relish a Labour Government. Lot of twists and turns to come yet.
When the Fat Lady sings all will be revealed.

A lot can happen between now budget day n the general election.
Fully expected a 2p cut in income tax n wudent rule out the tax threshold Goin up to 14k.

End of the day we are were we are.
A big chunk of Redemption is owed to the British Taxpayers for sure.

And I wudent rule out a very late GE so the tories also get the Autumn budget in which could be a game changer.

Tax cuts have to be funded, so there has to be cuts in services or higher borrowing, look what happened when Truss cut taxes, absolute disaster for peoples finances.

Nobody is saying tax cuts haven't to be funded. My comment was about your assumption that any tax cuts will be worth pennies. We had a cut in NI contributions in January which was worth hundreds. If those who you love to hate raised taxes in the upcoming budget I would bet a pound to a piece of pigeon shit that the last thing you would say is well it's only pennies.

Anybody who doesn’t believe Truss was set up, is either a political opponent or a fool.
That’s the reason why Tory voters are staying at home, because their MP’s slapped them in the face to get their man in.

There has been plenty of comment that the Cons will struggle to finance a late General Election as their big backers are realising that the Party is in for a heavy defeat and these backers will see no benefit to themselves once the Cons are outed from power.

With money in short supply at Cons HQ most comments are suggesting a snap early May Election.

According to an e mail sent to me by Labour HQ the Party expect the Tories to have the maximum of £34 million allowed available to them and are expected to spend every penny. In another e mail Starmer himself requested a donation to help the Party's funds in an effort to match the Tory campaign. Make of that what you will. I don't expect the Tories to be short of cash.

I have just received another email from Labour HQ telling me that their fund target hasn't been reached and that their campaigning costs of the two recent by elections which they won had overstretched their budget. Labour overspending budgets, well I never. Maybe they're practising for when they are in power.

Isent our Extortion Council taxes supposed to cover Services.
The government ain't as Skint as it makes out.
Shit load of extra tax dosh created just by the mimimum wage.
Still reckon they will get the Autumn Budget in before they call a GE.

I agree a late GE and an Autumn budget to try and drum up support for the Tories and to try cut Labours huge majority and stop Tories switching their allegiance to Reform U.K.

In the Telegraph that the bigger tax cuts will come in the Autumn Budget. So looks like we've called it right Jamie.
GE back end of year or even January.
Politics Hey!

back to the original title of the thread does anyone know which of the two major party,s have increased the state pension the most. on a selfish point of view the answer maybe the deciding factor for me.

Spot on, Most definitely set up.

Since 2010 the State Pension has increased using the Triple Lock, 2 years ago it was increased by around 10%, that never happened before the Triple Lock was introduced.
All parties would like to abolish the Triple Lock but it would be a vote loser as there is a high percentage of pensioners who vote at the Elections.
Cameron introduced it to attract the grey rinse brigades votes not realising how much in future years it would cost due to rising inflation etc.

In answer to your question and assuming by the two parties you mean Labour or Conservative, then the answer is Conservative.

Conservatives because they value the vote of the highly intelligent elderly brigade, in a few years there could be more retirees than people in employment with people taking early retirement as well. Whereas labour not only ignore the working class whilst they are actually working but also ignore them when they retire.