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| Noel Kelleway, Cllr Tony Ball, Gina Mills and Stephen Metcalfe MP |
Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock,
praised the Chancellor’s budget at a breakfast meeting this morning organised
by local accountants, Rickard Keen.
Mr Metcalfe, who addressed a group of local business men and women
at the post budget business breakfast, said that the budget will help everyone,
whether they are low earners, families, motorists or employers in South
Basildon and East Thurrock.
Amongst the announcements, the local MP particularly welcomed the
raising of the personal allowance, the scrapping of the fuel duty escalator and
the introduction of the employment support allowance.
By raising the personal allowance, those on low incomes can now
earn £10,000 before any income tax has to be paid. The tax cut will benefit an
estimated 39,443 people in South Basildon and East Thurrock bringing the total
lifted out of tax completely to 4,012.
Further savings will be made by the Chancellor’s decision to scrap
fuel duty, which will put an extra £7 into the pockets of the average family
when they fill up their car. Over 5.6 million motorists in the South East are
set to save over £170 year. Fuel duty will now have been frozen for nearly
three and half years - the longest freeze in duty for over 20 years.
The Employment Support Allowance is also great news for South
Basildon and East Thurrock.
This is a bold set of tax cuts for businesses and employers which
will take £2,000 off the National Insurance bill of every employer whether they
be a business, charity or community amateur sports club. This will help 140,000
employers in the South East, taking 70,000 out of having to pay any tax on jobs
at all.
Mr Metcalfe commented: “The Chancellor made some fantastic
announcements that will put money back into the pockets of people in South
Basildon and East Thurrock. Fuel will be 13p per litre lower than if Labour
were in power, businesses will have what they need to hire, expand and grow,
and those on the lowest incomes will have more money in their pockets now that
the income thresholds have risen.“
“Let’s not forget that these announcements come in the wake of
further good news this week. On Tuesday the Treasury also announced plans for
tax free child care in 2015. This will be worth up £1,200 a year for every
child under the age of 12.”
“The message is clear. This Government is for hard working people.
We have listened and responded and I look forward to seeing people in South
Basildon reap the benefits.”
