The Budget at a glance

5 April 2012
Beer, wine and spirits up

11p on packet of cigarettes
Price of a packet of 20 cigarettes rises by 11p from 6pm today. A pack of five cigars goes up by 4p.

Tax break for green cars
No car tax in first year for new low-polluting vehicles meeting the 130g/km EU standard from 2010. Higher first year car tax for the worst polluting "gas-guzzlers".

Fuel duty rise delayed
Fuel duty will rise by 0.5p per litre ahead of inflation from 2010 but a 2p rise scheduled for next month is delayed until October.

Borrowing to rocket
Borrowing will rise to £43 billion next year, or 2.9% of national income, falling to £23 billion or 1.3% by 2012-13.

Boost for child benefit
Child benefit for first child rises to £20 a week from next April. An extra £50 above inflation added to child tax credit for low and middle-income families. A family with two children on an income of up to £28,000 will get £130 more a year. Family with one child in the lowest income bracket will be £17 a week better off, lifting 150,000 children out of poverty.

No change to non-dom levy
Non-doms will escape tax on offshore income not brought into the UK. No more changes to the £30,000 non-dom levy for the rest of this Parliament or the next.

Housing help for key workers
Key workers and first-time buyers will be able to borrow money from new-shared equity scheme from April, with minimum stake cut to 50% from 75%. Stamp Duty will not be levied on shared ownership until owners' share of equity has reached 80%.

Growth forecast down
Economic growth for year forecast at 1.75% to 2.25%. For 2009, it is 2.25% to 2.75% and in 2010, 2.5% to 3.0%.

ISA allowance rises to £7,200
Maxi ISA limit raised to £7,200. Cash ISA limit up to £3,600.

Shops face plastic bag ban
Stores will be banned from handing out free plastic carrier bags if they fail to voluntarily cut their use. A new law imposing a charge on every bag will come into force next year with the money raised going to environmental charities. The move could cut plastic bag use by 90%, equivalent to 12 billion fewer bags.

Green homes scheme extended
Zero carbon scheme for new homes extended to cover non-domestic buildings by 2019. Extra £26 billion funding for greener homes next year. Target for UK carbon emission reductions raised to 80% by 2050.

Risk of inflation above 2%
Chancellor reaffirmed inflation target of 2%, but admitted it could rise higher in short-term.

18% flat rate for CGT
Capital gains tax will change to a flat rate of 18% next month with taper relief, which allowed some people to pay as little as 10%, scrapped. Entrepreneur relief will come in to cover the first £1 million on small business sales.

Treasury savings plan
Plans to make savings of £30 billion per year on Government spending from 2010.

National debt to grow
National debt projected to be 38.5% of GDP in 2008/9, 39.4% in 2009/10, 39.8% in 2010/11, 39.7% in 2011/12 and 39.3% by 2012/13.

Extra £10m for science
£10 million added to funds for the Wellcome Trust and private sector over next five years to create £30 million science fund.

Boost for poor families
Extra £125 million over next three years for poorer families, £765 million will be spent next year and £950 million in 2010, taking more than 250,000 children out of poverty.

Aircraft emissions duty to rise
Government supports expansion at Heathrow and Stansted. Revenue from plane duty will be increased by 10% because aircraft emissions are forecast to grow.

£2bn for frontline troops
The Government will give £2 billion to troops on the front line, including £900 million for military equipment.

New ideas for mortgages
Further consultation on how to restructure the mortgage market to encourage more long-term home loans after review of housing finance published today.

Return-to-work assessments
All long-term recipients of incapacity benefit will attend work capacity assessments from April 2010 in order to help them return to work.

New home loans scheme
Eight million people on lower incomes will be allowed to open accounts with a new Savings Gateway scheme from 2010.

70,000 more homes
Government committed to building more homes by 2020. In addition to the 40,000 new homes already identified, the Government has identified sites for a further 70,000 more homes to be built.

Spending rise to ease off
Public spending growth over next three years will average 2.2% per annum compared with average rise of 3.6% in the years between 1997 and 2007. Net investment forecast to rise to £37 million in 2010.

Boost for small firms
Funds available though the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme to rise by £60 million. From next month the scheme will be extended to all small and medium-sized firms. They will also be awarded 30% of all public sector business.

Help with energy bills
Help for the elderly and vulnerable to pay heating bills to rise from £50 million to £150 million per year.

Funding for road pricing
New funding to develop national road pricing technology.

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