Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
GORGIE DALRY GAZETTE 278 March 2008
Last month, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, I presented my first budget to the House of Commons. I wanted to tackle two of the big issues we face today – child poverty and climate change but it’s also a budget that has good news for pensioners as well as families and children.
This year pensioners will get a boost to their £200 winter fuel payment – £50 extra will go to over 60’s households, a total of £250 and £100 extra for over 80’s households, a total of £400.
I was able to increase child benefit to £20 a week for the first child which will help 600,000 families across Scotland. The child element of tax credit will increase by £50 a year, above inflation, from next year. Over 300,000 families claiming child tax benefit will benefit from this increase.
And I introduced new plans which will help families with pre-payment meters to reduce their bills.
These Budget measures will help to make further progress towards our target of halving child poverty by 2010.
I was very pleased to announce further steps to tackle climate change by introducing measures to encourage people to choose low polluting cars. From 2010 drivers who buy the cleanest cars will pay no road tax at all in the first year of registration. To eliminate single use carrier bags, the government will legislate and impose a charge, if retailers do not take voluntary action by next year. The proceeds from this tax would go to environmental charities.
It was important to deliver a responsible budget which will continue with the economic stability from which we have benefited in the last decade providing record employment and low inflation. I do not want to put any of this at risk.
