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Your support makes all the difference.The main points of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement:
Economy
* The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast for growth in 2013 has been upgraded from 0.6% to 1.4%, for 2014 it is upgraded from 1.8% to 2.4%.
* The OBR forecast of growth for the four years from 2015 has been forecast at 2.2%, 2.6%, 2.7% and 2.7%.
* Employment will rise by 400,000 in 2013, says the OBR. Unemployment forecast to fall from 7.6% this year to 7% in 2015, and 5.6% by 2018.
* Public sector net borrowing is forecast to be 5.6% in 2014, then 4.4%, 2.7% and 1.2% in subsequent years, with a small surplus by 2018/19.
* The Government will borrow £111 billion this year - £9 billion less than predicted in March. Borrowing to fall to £96 billion next year, then £79 billion, £51 billion and £23 billion in following years.
* Debt is forecast at 75.5% of GDP this year, rising to 78.3% next year, and 80% in 2015, before falling to 79.9% in 2016, then 78.4% and 75.9% in following years.
Tax
* New package of measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion, fraud and error expected to raise more than £9 billion over next five years.
* Capital gains tax will be imposed on foreigners who sell residential property in the UK from April 2015.
* New £1,000 transferable tax allowance for married couples from April 2015
* Rolling back green levies will take an average £50 off energy bills.
* Petrol tax rise of 2p a litre planned for 2014 is cancelled.
* Employer national insurance contributions for workers aged under 21 to be removed.
Investment
* Financial resources provided to fund expansion of free school meals to all school children in reception, year one and year two.
* New priority right to move for social tenants who need to relocate for a job.
* New loans worth £1 billion to unblock housing developments including in Manchester and Leeds.
* Plans to increase train fares by 1% above inflation from January cancelled
Pensions
* New principle that people should spend one third of adult life in retirement implies increase in state pension age to 68 in mid 2030s and 69 in late 2040s.
* State pension to rise by £2.95 a week from next April, leaving pensioners £800 a year better off from Government measures since 2010.
* Pensioners offered opportunity to make voluntary national insurance contributions to boost retirement income.
Employment and growth
* Job seekers aged 18 to 21 without basic maths or English will be required to undertake training or lose benefits.
* Funding for Jobcentres to support 16 and 17 year olds in finding apprenticeship or traineeships
*HM Revenue and Customs will fund employers directly for apprenticeships with an extra 20,000 higher apprenticeships over next two years.
*An additional 30,000 student places will be offered next year, with the cap on student numbers abolished in 2015.
Business
* Export finance capacity for UK businesses will be doubled to £50 billion.
* The small business rate relief scheme will be extended for one year from April 2014. Inflation increase in business rates will be capped at 2% from April 2014.
* New reoccupation relief will encourage the use of vacant town centre shops, halving rates for new occupants. There will be a discount on business rates worth £1,000 to every retail premises in England with rateable value up to £50,000.
Additional reporting PA
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