Today Mark Garnier, Member of Parliament for Wyre Forest, welcomed the Government's Budget with its plan to support jobs and growth. He also welcomed its commitment to help families with the cost of living, including an immediate cut in fuel duty.
Key measures in the Budget to boost growth include:
- Tax cuts for businesses and entrepreneurs
- Scrapping burdensome regulations
- Reform of the planning system
- New investment in science and innovation; and
- More support for young people with additional apprenticeships and work experience places.
To help families facing the rising cost of living, the Budget also will:
- Immediately cut fuel duty by 1 pence per litre and delay April's inflation rise in duty to next January. This means fuel duty is 6 pence lower than it would be under Labour.
- Introduce a Fair Fuel Stabiliser to tax oil companies more to stop above inflation rises in fuel duty
- Increase the Personal Allowance from by a further £630 from April 2012. That's another real increase of £48 extra per year, or £126 in cash terms. Together with this year's rise, that means a total of £326 extra each year for those working hard to support their families. And it means, just ten months into office, this coalition Government has taken 1.1 million low paid people out of tax altogether.
Upon hearing the Budget Mark said: "This budget is unashamedly pro growth. There is a whole raft of very specific and technical items that are designed to make this country more competitive after years of dropping in the world competitiveness league tables under the previous government. That is good news for business and employment. I especially welcome the enterprise zone announcement and will keep a close eye on this - especially in the light that more will be allocated and I will champion Wyre Forest to have one.
"I also welcome the news on fuel duty. A 1 pence cut in duty, along with delaying Labour's fuel duty escalator and the fair fuel stabiliser is also very welcome. I also particularly welcome the Approved Mileage Allowance payments increase. This affects self employed people and volunteers for organisations such as the Community Transport Helpline, based in Bewdley, and directly responds to the pleas of the volunteers I met last Friday at their annual meeting."