Local MP Maria Miller has welcomed the Chancellors Budget. Speaking afterwards Maria said, " This is a good budget for Basingstoke: working people in our borough will be able to keep more of the money they earn, which means a basic rate tax payer will be more than £1 000 a year better off than they were 5 years ago.
"So many Basingstoke families have struggled with sky high fuel costs in recent years and will welcome the Chancellor's announcement that fuel duty is being frozen again, the sixth year in a row. Pump prices are now 18p lower than they would have been if the last Labour government's policies had been followed.
"The announcement of a new 'Sugar Levy' on the soft drinks industry is an important boost for children's health and the funds raised will be used to double sports funding in primary schools.
"The Chancellors announcements on schools are particularly important for young people in Basingstoke. A new National Funding Formula will get rid of a generation of inbuilt unfairness in the way schools' funding is allocated and every school will be on the way to becoming an academy in the next 5 years.
"We have thousands of businesses in Basingstoke - they are the life blood of our community. The announcements made by the Chancellor today will provide practical financial help to many Basingstoke companies - thousands of small business will now never pay business rates again and tax bills will be cut too.
"This is a good budget for Basingstoke: lower taxes, support for business to create more jobs and fairer funding for schools."