Budget 2013 at a glance: George Osborne's key points

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The key points of Chancellor George Osborne's Budget.

FUEL, ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES

September's 3p fuel duty rise scrapped

April's 3p rise in beer duty scrapped. Instead, beer duty to be cut by 1p

Annual inflation +2% rise in beer duty to be ended but "duty escalator" to remain in place for wine, cider and spirits

Cigarette duties unchanged - continuing to rise by inflation +2%

INCOME TAX

Limit at which people start paying tax to be raised to £10,000 in 2014 - a year earlier than planned

HOUSING

Shared equity schemes extended, with interest-free loans for homebuyers up to 20% of value of new-build properties

Bank guarantees to underpin £130bn of new mortgage lending for three years from 2014

STATE OF THE ECONOMY

Growth forecast for 2013 halved to 0.6% from 1.2% in December

Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) watchdog predicts UK will escape recession this year

Growth predicted to be 1.8% in 2014; 2.3% in 2015; 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017.

BORROWING

The OBR predicts borrowing of £121bn this year, the same as last year, and £120bn for 2014-5

George Osborne says the deficit as a share of GDP will fall from 7.4% in 2013-14 to 5% in 2015-16

Debt as a share of GDP to increase from 75.9% this year to 85.6% in 2016-17

SPENDING AND PAY

Most government departments to see budgets cut by 1% in each of next two years

Schools and NHS will be protected

£11.5bn in further cuts earmarked in 2015-16 Spending Review, up from £10bn

1% cap on public sector pay extended to 2015-16 and limits on "progression" pay rises in the sector

Military to be exempt from "progression" pay limits.

Proceeds of Libor banking fines to be given to good military causes, including Combat Stress charity

JOBS

600,000 more jobs expected this year than at same time last year

Claimant count to fall by 60,000

TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

HELP FOR BUSINESS

Corporation tax to be cut from 21% to 20% in 2015

New employment allowance to cut National Insurance bills cut by £2,000 for every firm

450,000 small firms will pay no employer National Insurance

Government procurement from small firms to rise fivefold

Tax relief for investment in social enterprises

Stamp duty axed on shares traded on growth markets like Aim.

Tax avoidance and evasion measures, including agreements with Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey, aimed at recouping £3bn in unpaid taxes

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Tax incentives for ultra low-emission cars

Pottery industry in Midlands to be exempt from climate change levy

Tax allowances for investment in shale gas

INFLATION

2% Bank of England inflation target to stay in place

Bank remit, external to be changed to focus on growth as well as inflation

PENSIONERS

Single flat-rate pension of £144 a week brought forward a year to 2016

Cap on social care costs confirmed

FAMILIES

20% tax relief on childcare up to £6,000 per child from 2015

£5,000 payments for those who lost money on Equitable Life policies bought before 1992. Extra money for those on low incomes

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