Peter Hoskin

The politics of post-2015

Have you noticed, CoffeeHousers, that our politicians are talking more and more about what they’d do after the next election? This has been happening, really, since last November, when George Osborne extended the forecasting horizon of his Budget to 2017. That had a hint of chicanery about it, ensuring that Osborne continued to meet his first fiscal rule — but it has still triggered a fashion for future gazing. Since then, both Labour and the Lib Dems have talked, in broad terms, about what they would offer for after 2015.

I mention this now because of a story in today’s Sunday Times (£). Osborne, apparently, is going to signal a further reduction in corporation tax in this month’s Budget, but for ‘later,’ not for now:

‘Osborne has already cut corporation tax. It was 28 per cent when he took power, is now 25 per cent, and will shrink to 23 per cent over this parliament.

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