George Osborne’s autumn budget: New Cross responds

People in New Cross speak out.

George Osborne announced extended cuts in his autumn statement, with benefits to rise just 1 per cent by 2015. Eastlondonlines asked New Cross locals for their opinions on three of the chancellor’s headline announcements.

  • “Britain is open for business”: Doubling of the Small Business Rate relief scheme, corporate tax reduced from 24 to 21 per cent by 2014, pension funds to potentially invest in small and medium enterprises.
  • “That is real help with the cost of living for families as they fill up their cars across the country”: Three pence petrol rise scrapped.
  • “People working full time on the minimum wage, will have seen their income tax bill cut in half”: Personal tax allowance to raise to £9,440.
RISE IN PERSONAL TAX ALLOWANCE:

Tania Gerreyn, 42, works at The Hobgoblin, New Cross Road.
“It’s about time they do something for the working class people.”

 
Mahes Bista, 26, works at Goldsmiths Wine LTD,  New Cross Road.
“Low taxes means that you can save more of your income, so that’s good. “

James Starkey, 21, works at the Allotment, New Cross Road.
“It sounds like it should be good, but I’m not sure of the longer term consequences. It’s sounds like it’s a bit of a shallow effort to distract from the cuts.”

SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:

Khairuo Hoque, 43, owner of Nouvelle Spice, New Cross Road.
“The government doesn’t care about small businesses. As soon as the government came in, they put up the VAT by 20 percent. If anything, the cut in cooperation tax will help big businesses.”

Mem Mustafa, 48, owner of Maddisons Express Sandwich and Coffee Bar, New Cross Road.
“The cut of cooperation tax is not going to affect me, the leaders in government only seem to care about big businesses.“

Akmen Sitki, 60, owner of Goldsmiths Garden, Lewisham Road.
“It’s all a con, politicians are con artists. They don’t give a damn. They encourage big businesses that found them, like the new Sainsbury’s. They say they’ll cut cooperation tax by 1 percent, but in a year they’ll increase it by five.”

SCRAPPING OF THREE PENCE PETROL INCREASE:

Temi Ajayi, 37, receptionist, Peckham.
“Even if they put up the price of petrol we would still have to buy it. I don’t think we should cut benefits to pay for it.”

Brian Ellis, 58, Peckham.
“If they don’t screw us this way they will screw us in another way. It is definitely a case of spin.”

One Response

  1. Duncan Edwards December 6, 2012

Leave a Reply