Below is a summary of the main points of the budget published by British chancellor George Osborne today.
Annual growth forecast revised down from 2.1 per cent to 1.7 per cent in 2012.
Inflation expected to remain at 4-5 per cent this year, 2.5 per cent next year and 2 per cent the following year.
Libya military action to be financed entirely by Treasury and Treasury reserve.
Borrowing forecast to fall from £146 billion this year to £29 billion in 2015/16.
£250 million shared equity scheme for first-time home buyers.
£100 million to help repair potholes on the roads.
£100 million extra to be invested in new science centres.
Green Deal to reduce energy bills from next year.
The UK to become the first country in the world to introduce a carbon price floor for the power sector.
New “green investment bank” to have access to £3 billion of funds.
24 university technical colleges to be founded.
Extra 40,000 apprenticeships for jobless young people in England.
Hutton recommendations on public sector pensions accepted.
Single-tier flat-rate state pension to be created, expected to be about £140-a-week.
Gift aid administration to be simplified, especially for small donations.
Direct tax to be indexed by CPI from April 2012.
Consultation on merging National Insurance and income tax.
From April, corporation tax will be reduced by 2 per cent, and by 1 per cent in each of the following three years, to bring it to 23 per cent.
Bank levy rate to be adjusted to offset the cut in corporation tax.
£350 million worth of regulation on businesses to be removed.
Relief for entrepreneur tax doubled to £10 million.
The 50p tax rate should be a temporary measure -tax receipts to be reviewed.
Taxation of high value property needs reform.
Rate relief holiday for small businesses extended to October 2012.
Inheritance tax discount for charitable donations.
Tax avoidance loopholes to be closed, raising £1 billion.
Personal tax allowance to rise from £7,475 to more than £8,105 in April 2012.
Plans to switch air passenger duty from passengers to planes have been dropped.
Air passenger duty rise postponed for one year. The Government will seek to impose the tax on private jets.
No new changes to rates of alcohol duty.
Tobacco duty changes announced earlier take effect from 6pm.
Fuel duty cut by 1p per litre from 6pm today.
Fair Fuel Stabiliser introduced, funded by increasing the supplementary charge on North Sea oil and gas production from 20 per cent to 32 per cent from tomorrow.
Petrol price escalator cancelled when oil price is high.
PA