Spring Budget

[sir.prize]

We have a Spring Budget each year when the powers that be legislate charges/allowances/etc for the next 12 months and often beyond.

Does anyone know of a valid reason why increases in Postal Charges and Prescription Charges are announced at a different time and without too much prominence? The Prescription Charge increase in my daily newspaper was simply three lines of text at the foot of another story.

[EDDIE51]

They increase at the start of the new financial year every April. They are not part of the budget, that would only affect them if a change in the % of increase was decided.

[Buenchico]

Given that Royal Mail is a privately-owned company (with HM Government selling the final part of its share in the business last October), the Chancellor of the Exchequer has no control over postal charges and the Government neither receives income from them nor pays out any money received from taxation to Royal Mail.

[Buenchico]

Further, the Chancellor has to seek the approval of Parliament to implement the tax changes in his budget. No such approval is required for the Secretary of State for Health to determined prescription charges as there is 'enabling legislation' in place, giving him the power to fix charges.

[sir.prize]

Thanks for that Chris. Great explanation.

Why didn't I think of that?

[EDDIE51]

You can buy stamps now and use them after the price rise as long as you buy 1st and 2nd class stamps and not ones with a price on.

[mikey4444]

Sir.prize...Royal Mail was hived off and was almost the last thing that hadn't been nailed down. This what the Tories do...sell off the family silver.

In Wales, we don't have prescription charges, a lesson that England could learn, by not voting Tory !

[naomi24]

Mikey, //In Wales, we don't have prescription charges //

With the state of the Labour run NHS in Wales that's probably just as well.

[mikey4444]

Naomi...dangerous territory !

The NHS is "in a state" all over Britain, and the Doctors are not on strike here are they ?

[naomi24]

Mikey, dangerous territory! Pah! To paraphrase Churchill, “Our problems will be eventually be reconciled. Yours …..”

You may find this, from 2014, interesting – but I doubt it.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/07/the-policies-that-have-wrecked-wales-coming-soon-to-a-miliband-government-near-you/

[youngmafbog]

The Royal Mai the familly silver Mickey - really?

[Orderlimit]

"This what the Tories do...sell off the family silver. "

Didn't they sell off the family gold or was that another party :)

Listening to ordinary ppl in Wales Labour have done what they do best and financially broken & ruined the Welsh NHS .