A PREDICTION by UK Chancellor George Osborne that scrapping VAT relief on cheap goods sent from the Channel Islands would claw back £90m. next year has been called ‘optimistic’ by Commerce and Employment.

A COMBINATION of measures contained in this week’s UK Budget could be good news for Guernsey, it has been claimed.

A CLAMPDOWN on tax avoidance will help the UK government raise an extra £500m. a year, according to yesterday’s Budget.

TREASURY minister Lyndon Trott has welcomed Gordon Brown's robust predictions for the economy.

THE final Budget before the introduction of the new tax strategy shows that were it not for the shadow of zero-10, public finances would be looking robust.

THE creation of real estate investment trusts is likely to pose little threat to offshore property funds business.

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown's latest budget could see Guernsey's property-funds industry competing with the UK.

MOST analysts expect last week's UK Budget to be the last before Tony Blair calls a general election, so it is not surprising that Chancellor Gordon Brown delivered no significant changes in fiscal policy.

NO NEW measures directly targeting the local finance sector were announced in yesterday's pre-Budget statement by Chancellor Gordon Brown.

THERE were no nasty surprises for Guernsey in yesterday's UK Budget.