This isnt costing us a cent when you consider that you CANNOT lose money you have not made.

Scott

Scott, London,

Changes to VAT will have little effect. Will reducing the cost of a £500 television by £12-50 make people buy them? I think not. This is a pointless political exercise. Living within our means is the real way for a sustainable future. Now we know taxes will rise we will have to save to pay them.

Roger Parkes, Tunbridge Wells, England

What a waste of an opportunity. 2.5% Big deal! and not appropriate. A savings Tax Holiday would be more apt for those 'prudent' enough to take advantage. Also reducing the Tax rate will have a longer term effect but can we afford any of it. I suspect not.

Billy, Bangkok, Thailand

Matt in Sao Paulo Brasil - You may not like it but your just plain wrong. I live in Canada where we get Canadian and USA news channels, both of which are full of praise for the lead that Brown has given. The Americans were going to buy 'toxic debt' but instead have changed to follow Brown's model.

Mike, Calgary, Canada

Since when have the Labour party had compassion. They didn't have much compassion when they stole pensions or sold off our gold reserves at the bottom of the market or sent our balance of payments plunging from the black to red and they didn't worry too much when it came to stamp duty. So....?!!

john, Chichester, United Kingdom

The only way it could help would be to cut direct taxation. VAT reductions wont be passed on, benefit increases will only help pensioners or those already on benefits but the section of the country that pays most of the tax and spends most on services & products won't see any extra income.

Mike, Alicante, Spain

Absolutely Gordon. It's absolutely right that my children will pay for your short term electioneering tax giveaway. It's absolutely right that as someone who has worked bloody hard all my life, scrimped and saved I should subsidise those who can't be bothered to and, like you, spend spend spend..

Dave White, Notts, UK

Even Brown's elastic definition for the word 'investment' cannot possibly include a VAT cut. This is an electoral bribe meant to take our attention long enough for him to call an election. It will be spent on lots of Chinese and Japanese imports which are more expensive thanks to the lower pound.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

Everyone seems to forget< this is a world wide problem and not just the UK. If the goverment dont do anything but just sit there then we will have more problems. Whatever they do the torys seem to want to put it down, what has the torys come up with to help the people so far nothing.

James, London, England

Mike Browning: yes, I do read the US/World broadsheets: as I am based in South America it is much easier for me than those in the UK. And I tell you for fact that no-one in the world at large is praising Brown or following his ideas - he's not even seen as important enough to make a joke of.

Matt, Sao Paulo, Brazil

I suppose it was Labour "compassion" when Brown was Chancellor to help seal the fate of final salary pension schemes but hitting them with a tax raid - they have all been pretty much wiped out under this government.

Steve, Hereford,

There's no doubt about it, Brown does not tolerate criticism from within his own party and he does not see any reason why he should tolerate it from the opposition or for that matter, why anybody should not agree with him?

Mr G, Leeds, UK

Allowing for the fact that Brown is responsible for the world economic crisis, it is strange that the US, Europe, G20 are following his lead..
Where will 'blame' and 'doing nothing' take us.. apart from 1939.. when fortunately Churchill got us to pull together
Ideas, please, kneejerk nay sayers...

Mike Browning, Bedford, England

John, London..evidence that Brown + Darling know what they are doing..? ..US, Europe, Japan, China, Russia.. etc following Brown's ideas .. or don't you you read the US and world broadsheets ?

But then, lets not confuse ourselves with facts + openmindedness..just like the late 1930s.. Wow!

Mike Browning, Bedford, England

It won't work because most retailers have already slashed their prices, before the "financial stimulus package" - any reduction in VAT is unlikely to be passed on to the consumer, but banked by the retailers.
This Government is out of control, this their final bid to salvage votes for a spring poll

Mark, Nottingham, UK

Save whoms jobs and whoms homes? Public servants and buy-to-lets.

No way!!!!!!Let them ALL go.

Fabio C, London, UK

we have to much debt 1, Govt. debt and 2 Personal debt,
Both these debt mountains were created when GBrown was at the helm as Chancellor and PM-(he is de facto Chancellor now)
regardless of who, why and how debt was run up we all now have to pay for Browns Lack of monetry control.

mike, gloucester, uk

The bankers, politicians, economists have been shown to be mostly clueless about the world economy -if not why did they not stop the world economy getting into he current mess ?

What evidence is there that Darling or Brown know what they are doing now ? None. Empires rise and fall.

john, london,

The tax breaks are good but the government should be trying to make england a cheaper place to live on a permernant basis and stop throwing money away averseas, charity egins at home.

mike jarrold, brackla, bridgend