Beat The Budget - Rachel From Accounts Training Program

Budget Bother

You are the UK Chancellor. Choose a party & scenario, set your Budget, and see what it does to the public finances and the mood.

Debt / GDP 96% Flat

Deficit £48bn Stable

Growth 1.2% Fragile

Years to election 4

Voter mood Mixed

Party

Starting scenario

Extras Chaos mode (random shocks)

Taxes & Spending

Sliders are stylised UK-style settings, not predictions. Try extremes, then something you could defend on TV.

Basic rate income tax 20p in the £

Baseline – pay packets unchanged.

Higher rate income tax 40p in the £

Higher earners calm – for now.

VAT 20%

Neutral at the tills.

NHS funding (real change) 3%

NHS staff cautiously relieved.

Education funding (real change) 1%

Classrooms muddling through.

Signature policies

Big ticket moves. Great for headlines, not free for the Treasury.

UK AI & Innovation Fund

Extra billions into AI, R&D and digital infrastructure. Near-term borrowing up, potential long-term growth.

Net Zero & Green Investment Plan

Clean energy, insulation, grid upgrades. Greens cheer, some businesses worry about costs.

Pension “Triple Lock Plus”

State pension rises faster than prices and earnings. Retirees delighted, fiscally heavy.

Fuel Duty & VED Freeze

Drivers cheer at the pumps and on road tax. Greens and bean-counters less impressed.

Benefits Uprating Above Inflation

Stronger safety net for low-income households. Deficit and debt creep higher.

Tip: voters feel pay, bills and public services; markets stare at debt, deficit and growth.

Instant reaction

A stylised feel for how different groups respond to this year’s Budget.

😐 Workers – Pay packets feel tight but not catastrophic.

😐 Businesses – Keeping an eye on tax and energy costs.

😐 Retirees – Watching pensions, NHS waits and fuel bills.

🙂 Greens – Looking for real net-zero cash, not just slogans.

😐 Markets – Gilt yields twitch as they scan the numbers.

AI & Tech – No Chatbots, Just Innovation