In the stories below, Matt Coward of accountants Baker Tilly looks at how the Budget will affect people in Sussex.
Chancellor Gordon Brown went for the same old suspects yesterday, hitting motorists, smokers and drinkers in the pocket.
Cigarettes go up by 8p, the price of a pint by 1p, wine, 4p and fuel duties up by 1.28p a litre.
Income tax is set to remain the same while the inheritance tax threshold has gone up to £255,000, the VAT threshold to £56,000 and stamp duty on homes frozen.
Mr Brown reduced his growth forecast for 2003 by 0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent but forecast a strong recovery next year on the back of 3 to 3.5 per cent growth as consumer spending picks up following the end of the Iraq war.
He also announced Government borrowing would have to rise by £3 billion this year, taking total borrowing to £27 billion but less than City analysts had been expecting.
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