Budget 2006

There was a time when Budget Speeches used to say a fair amount about tax. With the current Chancellor delivering his tenth Budget those days seem a long time ago. This time he seemed more inclined to set out his stall for the main political prize should it come his way in the not-too-distant future. He spoke at length about education and what he was going to do for 'hard working families' (is it coincidental that his interest in such matters seems to have become more apparent since he himself became a father?). He referred to our pride as a nation in having been awarded the Olympics in 2012 and the need to invest...