Emergency budget ‘hit poorest hardest’

Wednesday 25th August 2010, 8:07AM BST.

Emergency budget ‘hit poorest hardest’

George Osborne’s emergency Budget hit the poorest hardest, a leading economic think-tank has said.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) concluded that the biggest losers from the measures announced by the Chancellor in June were low income households with children.

The report was seized on by Labour, with shadow work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper accusing the Government of carrying out a “shocking and unfair attack on children and families”.

But the Treasury said it “does not accept” the IFS analysis, claiming the report was selective in what Budget measures it had included.

The IFS study found that the poorest six tenths of households lost more in cash terms as a result of the Budget’s changes than wealthier households in all but the richest 10%.

The report found Mr Osborne’s tax and benefit changes between June 2010 and April 2014 will cost the poorest 10% of households, those in the first decile group, £422.83.

But those in the ninth decile group would only find themselves £339.12 worse off.

The report builds on earlier IFS analysis of the Budget, which indicated that Mr Osborne’s claims it was progressive – hitting the rich harder than the poor – was mainly down to changes previously announced by Labour.

The new study, part-funded by the End Child Poverty campaign, attempts to reflect the impact of all the benefit cuts announced in the Budget.

“Our analysis shows that the overall effect of the new reforms announced in the June 2010 Budget is regressive, whereas the tax and benefit reforms announced by the previous government for introduction between June 2010 and April 2014 are progressive”, the report said. “Low-income households of working age lose the most from the June 2010 Budget reforms because of the cuts to welfare spending.”


  1. 1
    TelWolf

    What did you expect from the Cons?
    It didn’t take Einstein to work out the tax breaks would be clawed back with interest!

    Report abuse

  2. 2
    hale wwfc

    cut this cut that they should cut the goverment bring back LAB!!!!!!!!!

    Report abuse

  3. 3
    Laurence

    Am i supposed to be surprised? It’s the tories…

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  4. 4
    Ray

    And do we really suppose that had Labour won the general election anything would have been different, given that Alistair Darling was already committed to quietly making cuts of £36 billion to departmental budgets?

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  5. 5
    Phil

    Well i expected it from the Tories,but i thought their partners in the coalition would have a bit more influence,instead they seem to be just glad to be in power,and have been used by the Tories to make a lot of the anouncements about the cuts in spending,i don’t think there will be a liberal party at the end of this parliament,they will take 50yrs to recover to where they were 1yr ago.

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  6. 6
    antony j

    you would think you brits ate at the seige of stalingrad!!! man up and take the budget like a grown up. no one is going to starve to death. the worst is you will have to cut down on the beer and fags… boo hoo hoo!!!

    Report abuse

  7. 7
    Mrs M

    The Tories have little choice. Labour have given out money hand over fist, and it cannot carry on. If half the people claiming beneifts fraudently stopped it would be a different story. Instead of blaming the tories, blame your friend, neighbour, family member who are claiming when they shouldnt.

    Report abuse

  8. 8
    stjoe

    We give 70 million away to a nuclear powered country. The 10 richest nations in the world have a top meeting about the floods in Pakistan and we are among the 10 richest nations. Why then if we are one of the 10 richest nations do we need all these cut backs then I ask????

    Report abuse



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