Guildford MP criticises Chancellor's sticking plaster budget

2.37.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 16th Mar 2005

Responding to today's Budget announcement by the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sue Doughty MP said:

"Today's Budget simply puts a sticking plaster over many problems, with many announcements designed to cover over the growing cracks ahead of the election."

On the raising of level at which stamp duty is paid from £60,000 to £120,000

"Last year the average first-time buyer price of a home was £131,000. So raising the level at which stamp duty starts to £120,000 will still be doing nothing to help many young people, especially in areas like Guildford. The Liberal Democrats have committed to raising the level to £150,000."

On help with council tax and free bus travel for pensioners

"The £200 to help pensioners with Council Tax is a pure election bribe. The Chancellor should be scrapping this unfair tax altogether and replacing it with a Local Income tax as proposed by the Liberal Democrats. This would be a fair and lasting solution for everyone.

"The Chancellor has put into practice a very welcome Lib Dem policy: free bus travel for pensioners. He should adopt more of our ideas, as pensioners would be significantly better off from the full package of policies in the Lib Dem's Manifesto for Older People than under Labour's plans."

On what was left out of the budget

"We have had nothing today to help students who are struggling with tuition fees and loans. The Chancellor did nothing today for the environment either. It's time we had a green Chancellor, not a Brown one."