Rochdale residents react to emergency budget

Photo: Paul Finnerty

Roberta Critchley thinks that alcohol and cigarette tax rises would be beneficial

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

In response to George Osborne’s Emergency Budget this afternoon (Tuesday 22 June), Rochdale Online reporter Paul Finnerty  took to the streets of Castleton to get the public's reaction to the announcements.

Retired Castleton resident Roberta Critchley saw the good and bad side of a VAT rise and added that more tax should be added to cigarettes and alcohol prices:

“The trouble is that VAT hits the poorest hardest and it’s the easy way to do it. But everyone will be more careful and I’ll think twice before spending.

“I stopped smoking, I hardly drink and I’ve never felt better. If they were priced out of reach, one would hope that it would have a beneficial effect on health."

The increased retirement age of 66 does not apply to her, but may affect her daughter.

“My daughter, who is 40, won’t be too keen, but it can’t go up much more,” she added. 

David Walsh, 52, a Direct Service worker, was already prepared for the freeze in public sector wages but is concerned about the VAT increase: “We got told that there was no wage rise, but everyone should have a rise if prices go up. VAT will affect us on big things like furniture.”

Yet for his wife the non-taxable allowance rise of £1000 to £7475 was good news: “She works part time and the threshold usually hurts her,” he said.

He was surprised at the freeze on alcohol, cigarettes and fuel however: “They really sell too much cheap booze, all the kids around here are getting drunk and pubs are empty.”

Stanley Mann, a 50-year-old accountant from Castleton, thinks that freezing benefits is a good idea and insisted that the coalition government should have done more to provide the unemployed with jobs:

“They’ve not gone far enough. They’re still paying a lot of people to do nothing. They should get them to clean the canals and the town centre and help in hospitals. They shouldn’t be paying them to do nothing.

“The Government has to stop paying people to breed because the country is swamped with people earning money for nothing.

With regards to the VAT increase, he said it was “one way to get a load of money”.

Elaine Haggan, 46, from Castleton agreed with Mr Mann: “A child benefits freeze is good. I’ve put into the system for 28 years and never scrounged. You work more and get penalised.

“I don’t believe in layabouts. A lot of lone parents want to get out and work. They need to stop the immigrants coming in and stop looking after them more.”