Budget 2015 speech in full: Watch George Osborne deliver last budget before election
Here's what the Chancellor had to say ahead of the crunch election in May
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.George Osborne delivered the coalition's final Budget before the election today - and possibly his final one as chancellor.
The Conservatives and Labour are neck-and-neck in the polls as May 7 looms and today's Budget was a chance for Osborne and David Cameron to ram home the message that the Tories are the party to trust with the economy.
Ahead of the election, the Chancellor announced plans to reduce the scale of his planned spending cuts in the final year of the 2015-20 parliament. The move follows a rare dispute between him and David Cameron, who is said to have warned Osborne that the deeper cuts he favoured could lose the Tories the election.
Tax on income from savings will be abolished for millions of people as Osborne woos pensioners and “hard-working taxpayers”.
UK economic growth has benefited from the falling price of oil, an uplift in European growth thanks to cash injections from the European Central Bank and a decreasing borrowing costs - three areas, however, that Osborne has had little control over.
Fortunes have improved: the UK economy grew by 2.6 per cent last year.
And why not play Budget Bingo while you watch the video above?
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments