Budgets centre mainly on tax and benefits - income and expenditure for the Treasury. Most decisions on spending come in the summer, when the Chancellor reveals how much each Government department can spend over the next three years. But Mr Brown normally uses his budget to announce the odd treat - a rabbit from his hat to keep us entertained.
We already know he will not contemplate the measure that would transform children's services: increasing taxes. In Sweden, so often an inspiration for what can be achieved for children, taxes represent 51 per cent of GDP. Here the political parties argue over whether the tax take should be 40 or 42 per cent. For as long as our nation values low taxes over good services, we can only dream of welfare provision that is truly universal and sufficient.
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