• The Minimum wage is increasing from April next year taking it from £11.44 to £12.21 for someone aged 21 or over; from £8.60 per hour to £10 per hour for someone aged 18-20; the apprentice rate will increase from £6.40 to £7.55 for an 18 year old.
• If you are a carer, the amount you can earn, whilst still claiming carers allowance, will increase  in April next year from £151 per week to the equivalent of 16 hours at minimum wage (£195.36 per week).
• The government are freezing the current fuel duty and maintaining the 5p cut which means filling up at the pump won't cost you any more than it does now (an unexpected bonus).
• If you enjoy a night in the pub, a pint of beer will be around a penny cheaper!
• Not such good news for smokers and vapers or those who enjoy soft drinks as the levy on those is set to rise (vape liquid levy being imposed from 2026). Equally the cost of Air Passenger Duty will add around £2 to the cost of a short haul flight (if you're lucky enough to own a private jet then you perhaps won't worry about the 50% increase you might suffer!)
• If you have debts that are being paid back from your Universal Credit Payments, there is a cap of 15% on the amount of benefit that can be deducted. A reassuring measure for those most in need.
• Capital Gains Tax sees an increase from tomorrow (you pay Capital Gains when you sell stocks and shares or certain other valuables at a profit) the basic rate increases from 10% to 18% and the higher rate from 20% to 24% with no changes to CGT on property which was already taxed at the higher levels.
• Stamp Duty Land Tax is increasing from tomorrow on second homes / buy to lets - currently there is a 3% surcharge (above the standard rates) for second homes; this increases to 5%.
• There was a temporary increase (set by the last government) in the bands to which Stamp Duty Land Tax applied, this will revert back to the lower levels from April next year. If you are a first time buyer, complete before April to be eligible for zero stamp duty on the first £425,000 as long as the property costs no more than £625,000(you pay 5% on the portion between £425,000 and £625,000). From April, you will pay nothing on the first £300,000 as long as the property is not worth more than £500,000
• Inheritance Tax was, perhaps, for Financial Advisors, one of the bigger shocks with any unused pension pots now falling into the deceased's estate for IHT purposes. This has long been an IHT planning tactic for passing on more wealth to the next generation - many financial plans may now need a rethink.
• If your children go to Private School then you will pay VAT on your school fees from the start of 2025 (this was not unexpected as there had been much speculation in the press).
• Business owners were perhaps the hardest hit - a worker on minimum wage, working 35 hours per week, may see an increase of around £18 per week after tax and National Insurance (not taking into account any pension contributions); the increased cost to the employer for the same employee will be over £45 per week as, in addition to the rise in pay, the Chancellor lowered the threshold at which National Insurance is paid by the employer from £9,100 to £5,000 and increased the employer rate from 13.8% to 15% (there will be changes to the Employment Allowance that might offset this for smaller companies).
• Tax on disposals of business assets will also be gradually increased, though Corporation Tax is going to be capped at 25%.
• Family businesses and Farmers will see some changes to Agricultural and Business reliefs which will hit all but the smaller businesses.
• Pensioners will see an increase in their state pensions of 4.1% in 2025/6 to £11,962.60 per year with the Pension Credit Guarantee also rising from £11,400 to £11,850
• The UK tax system currently works on the basis of residency (living here) and domicile (originating from the UK ); the announcement to scrap the latter means that, if the UK is your home, you may now (depending on the small print) be taxed on your worldwide assets and income. 

The budget held some lofty promises of getting anyone capable of work into a job through education, healthcare and welfare; It promised to apply the principle of prevention rather than cure in our beloved NHS; it offered to repair schools, recruit more teachers; clamp down on benefit fraud, tax evasion and shoplifting; it offered reliefs to the hospitality and leisure industry; help with innovation; better transport; better roads. Given the cost of living increases over recent years and the increase in mortgage interest rates, I doubt any of us will feel significantly wealthier. It might keep the wolf from the door for those on minimum wage;  it will strike harder at those firms who rely on cheap labour; who knows, it might, if the promises are kept and infrastructure projects materialise, help us turn a corner.....