| Good evening, Who’d be Rishi Sunak this week? While budgets are always stressful for a chancellor, this week’s will be even more dramatic than most. As we start to move out of lockdown and society begins to open up, a fine line has to be walked between getting the economy up and running again and finding ways to pay for all the grants, furlough cash, PPE, vaccines etc which have (rightly) been the most important issue for the Government over the past 12 months. There has been talk of increasing taxation to make a start on repaying the debt. Corporation tax, pension tax and even capital gains tax have all been mentioned as potential areas the Chancellor could hit. On the other hand there are suggestions of a stamp duty overhaul, business grants and rate relief, as well as money to ‘level up’ the struggling communities of the North which put the Conservatives into Government. It’s likely there will be a mix of both, but the Chancellor should err on the side of growth. There will be time enough to worry about the debt when we are back on our feet. Until next time, stay safe, Gillian Parkinson Editor Contact me with your views at [email protected] I would like to ask if those of you who do not yet subscribe to www.lep.co.uk or www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk would consider taking out a digital subscription. By doing so, you are supporting local, community journalism and helping to ensure that it survives and thrives. A subscription gives you unlimited access to the site, for all the news and sport you need - and more, including our newly-launched Puzzles section. You can subscribe here: https://www.lep.co.uk/subscriptions for the Post and here https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/subscriptions for the Gazette. And thank you. | 