At-a-glance: Budget 2009

Here are the key points of Alistair Darling's 2009 Budget:

CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL AND FUEL

BUDGET 2009 Complete Budget report [2.59MB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here

• Alcohol taxes to go up 2% from midnight - putting the price of the average pint up 1p

• Tax on tobacco to go up by 2% from 6pm - equivalent to an extra 7p on a pack of 20 cigarettes

• Fuel duty to rise by 2p per litre from September, then by 1p a litre above inflation each April for the next four years

CAR SCRAPPAGE SCHEME

Find out the key words used by Alistair Darling in his Budget speech. Enlarge Image

• From next month until March 2010 motorists to get £2,000 discount on new cars if they trade in cars older than 10 years

• They will have to show they been the registered keeper of the vehicle for the previous 12 months before ordering the new car

• The government will provide £1,000 with the industry expected to provide the other half

TAX

• Income tax for those earning more than £150,000 to rise to 50% from April 2010

• Tax relief on pensions to be reduced for people on more than £150,000 a year from April 2011

UK ECONOMY

• Economy forecast to shrink 3.5% in 2009

• Growth expected to pick up in 2010, expanding by 1.25%.

• Economy to grow by 3.5% annually from 2011

• Public borrowing to increase to £175bn this year

• Borrowing levels to be £173bn, £140bn, £118bn and £97bn in years after

• Consumer price inflation to fall to 1% by end of year. Retail Price Index to go to -3% by September.

• Capital investment to continue at historically high levels until 2012

JOBS AND TRAINING

• Government support for economy to protect 500,000 jobs

• Statutory redundancy pay up from £350 to £380 a week

• Extra support for people who have been out of work for 12 months through the flexible new deal

• From January all under-25s out of work for a year to be offered a job or training place with extra money on top of benefits for those in training

• £1.7bn extra funding for Job Centre network

• £250m funding to help people get work experience in growth industries

• Funding to create 54,000 new places in sixth form education

HOUSING

• Scheme to guarantee mortgage-backed securities to boost lending

• Stamp duty holiday for homes up to £175,000 to be extended to end of year

• Extra £80m for shared equity mortgage scheme

• £500m to kick-start stalled housing projects - including £100m for local authorities to build energy efficient homes

• £50m to upgrade housing for the armed forces

GOVERNMENT SAVINGS

• Tax loopholes and schemes identified which could provide £1bn of extra revenue over the next three years if closed

• An extra £9bn in efficiency savings is planned

• Public spending growth to be cut from 1.1% next year to 0.7% from 2011-2012

BENEFITS

• Child tax credit to rise by £20 by 2010

• Child trust funds for disabled children to rise by £100 a year, £200 a year for severely disabled children

SAVINGS

• Annual limit for tax-free ISAs to rise to more than £10,200 for over-50s this year and for everyone else next year. Of that amount £5,100 can be saved in cash

ENVIRONMENT

• Britain commits to cut carbon emissions by 34% by 2020

• An extra £1bn to help combat climate change by supporting low-carbon industries

• £525m for offshore wind projects over the next two years

• £435m support for energy efficiency schemes for homes, firms and public buildings

• £405m to encourage low-carbon energy and advanced green manufacturing

HELP FOR BUSINESS

• Help for loss-making companies extended - they will be able to reclaim more taxes paid in the last three years until November 2010

• Businesses' main capital allowance rate doubled to 40% to encourage firms to bring forward investment

• New £750m strategic investment fund to help emerging technologies and regionally important sectors

PENSIONERS

• Grandparents of working age who care for their grandchildren will see that work count towards their entitlement for the basic state pension

• Winter fuel allowance to be maintained at higher level - £250 for over 60s and £400 for over-80s - for another year

• The basic state pension will be increased by at least 2.5%, regardless of inflation

• From November the limit on savings pensioners can have before their Pension Credits are reduced is to be raised from £6,000 to £10,000 to help those hit by low interest rates. It will mean an average of £4 extra a week, says the chancellor