British ice are tax Free Allowance to invest in uk listed companies. British isa tax Free Allowance. Moving on to the uk economy. The Office For Budget Responsibility predicts uk economy will grow by 0. 8 this year and 1. 9 next year. The uks Inflation Rate is also forecast to fall below 2 target this year. But the underlying debt, excluding Bank Of England debt, is forecast to be 91. 7 of gdp this year rising to 92. 8 next year. The government also kept a freeze on alcohol duty, which had been due to end in august, which will now continue until february 2025. There will be a new tax on vaping products to start in october 2026, and the existing tax on tobacco will increase. The chancellor says is in order to maintain the financial incentive to choose vaping over smoking. 0n transport and energy, the government has frozen the fuel duty again and kept the 5p cut in fuel duty on petrol and diesel, due to end later this month for another year. A windfall tax on the profits of energy firms,
Its thursday, 29th of february. Our main story. A group of mps have urged ministers to consider the implications for the uk, if assisted dying is legalised in the isle of man and jersey. The Health Select committee has published a report, which it hopes will provide evidence for future debates about the law. Opponents say the current legislation prevents people from coming under pressure to end their lives. Heres our medical editor, fergus walsh. The mps dont Make Recommendations for or against assisted dying. Rather, the aim of their report is to serve as a basis for debate on what they call this difficult, sensitive, yet crucial subject. More and more countries in europe have legalised assisted dying in some form, along with new zealand, australia, canada and ten states in the us. The mps say they saw no evidence that palliative and end of life care had deteriorated as a result, and in some instances it had improved. The Committee Calls for more money for hospices in england, which o
The current battlefield lines. The current battlefield lines. Elsewhere, sarah ferguson, the duchess of york , furiously the duchess of york, furiously silences an audience at the Cannes Film Festival before launching into a speech about Climate Change, leaving the crowd utterly confused. Crowd utterly confused. Everyone in this room stop. Stop stop. Stop. Stop. Did you see i removed the microphone . Because all of you are saying , microphone . Because all of you are saying, oh, i want to go because where is the next party . I should under sixteens go smartphone free. A report from mps suggesting teens should be banned from owning smartphones to combat antisocial behaviour. Well debate that later. Well debate that later. Fans of both Manchester City and Manchester United prepare to make their way to wembley ahead of the fa cup final this afternoon. Afternoon. It could well be an early start as thousands of city and united fans prepare to make the journey down to wembley ahead of kick o
Many are in will be continuing. Also today, zimbabwes former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrives back in the country. Hes expected to be sworn in as president on friday. Its 5. 00. Were at westminster on budget day, where the chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled a series of measures, which he claims will put the uk on a secure footing for brexit and beyond, setting aside £3 billion for every possible outcome from the brexit talks. Well take a look at the main measures, but we start with the big economic picture. The chancellor unveiled a sharp reduction in forecasts for Economic Growth in 2017, from 2 to 1. 5 , with lower forecasts for the three years to follow. And productivity growth is also down, according to the office for budget responsibility, or stubbornly flat in the chancellors words. There was slightly better news on borrowing, with an annual figure just under £50 billion, £8. 4 billion lower than forecast in march. A look at some of the specific measures unveiled
Music plays and the next president of zimbabwe, emmerson mnangagwa, is back in the country and will be sworn in on friday. And coming up on sportsday on bbc news countdown to midnight the ashes series gets underway. England captainjoe root says theyre ready to go. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. A britain fit for the future thats what the chancellor has promised in todays budget. It had a few giveaways but was delivered against the backdrop of a faltering economy with lower than expected growth and falling productivity. Among Philip Hammonds announcements from now, First Time Buyers in england, wales and Northern Ireland will pay no stamp duty on homes up to £300,000, more in london. Scotland has a different system. For the nhs in england, the chancellor promised an extra £1. 6 billion over the next year, though thats still short of what the nhs says it needs. The wait for the welfare benefit universal credit which has attracted criticism from both sides of the house