Budget aftermath

Press, 10 July 1979, Page 17

Budget aftermath

Let s take a look at the effect the recent Budget will have on household finances, and the implications of the measures announced. Tor those earning a wage, some tax relief in October; and for those who are in receipt of a

Family Benefit as well a doubling in the benefit. Sounds great? Think again. What you are being given with one hand could be taken away with the other; and, in fact, I think that the low-income families will be slightly worse off in the end. For while it sounds nice to have tax reductions and benefit increases, the price rises in consumer goods tend to offset these gains. Let me point out. 100, that the consumer goods I am talking about are not in the luxury-item class,

but the things one needs to keep a family clothed, housed and fed. For the sort of families J am seeing a lot of lately, the future looks very bleak.

But, however grim the outlook people and families still have to be helped, and 1 feel that for the future nothing is going to be achieved by holding out a hand to the State.

The future of this country lies in people helping people, not necessarily with money or handouts, but with sharing of common problems and working them through at a community level. It means, if you are to bring it down to a personal level, that the small percentage of people whom I see who are not in ' any great difficulty could perhaps help the large percentage who are not coping.

Nothing is going to be achieved by asking: “What are they going to do about it?”; instead let us ask ourselves: “What are we doing about it?” To this end the Budget Advisory Service is making attempts to take the service, and the help it offers, to the community. In order to do this, how-

ever, 1 need people who are willing to commit themselves to an hour or two a week to help some family less fortunate than their own. Anyone who feels that he would like to help is asked to ring me at 63-422 during any working day and we can discuss the matter further.