In the most basic sense, the Budget is a one-trick pony. You'll either have more or less in your pocket each week.
Monday, May 23rd 2005, 4:17AM
by The Landlord
Chances are that many of the text-generation won't even know there has been a Budget this week and hordes of other people will have turned the page or changed channels when it hit the headlines. Should we care about the Budget?
The Budget is the Government's Robin Hood, taking money from one sector of society and giving to another. Its long-term aim, one would hope, is to improve the economy for all.
The health of the economy benefits everyone. Ultimately, the Budget affects us from maternity services to the grave, or beyond if you consider issues such as inheritance tax - which fortunately we don't have at present. It's not just the immediate effect of tax cuts or increases and Government spending that should get you texting.
"We live in a democracy and the Budget is the announcement to the shareholders about how the Government is going to spend our money in the coming year," says Consumers Institute chief executive David Russell.
