Central Ayrshire Conservative candidate Marc Hope was delighted at the announcements made on Wednesday 18th March by the Chancellor George Osborne in his Spring Budget.
In a speech to the House of Commons, Mr Osborne announced a variety of measures to further boost the British economy including a planned increase in the tax-free personal allowance to £11,000 by 2017/18, cuts in North Sea oil and gas taxes and a cut in duty for the beer, cider and whisky industries.
Marc Hope, candidate for Central Ayrshire said: “This is a budget for Scotland. The increase in the personal allowance to £11,000 by 2017/18 will not only put an extra £4,525 into people’s pockets in comparison to 2010, but it fundamentally allows people to keep more of the money they earn, rather than the state spending it for them. The new tax incentives for our North Sea oil and gas industry will hopefully help to stave off the current problems and provide a welcome boost in investment and jobs into the sector”.
Marc added: “I particularly welcome the Chancellor’s announcement to scrap the planned rise in petrol duty. This will be a huge help to motorists and businesses that rely on transportation of goods and services. Since 2010, we have scrapped Labour’s fuel duty escalator and as a result saved motorists an average of £7.00 each time they fill up a tank”.