The poorest and families with children will be hit the hardest

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) held a briefing on Thursday 21 October in response to the government's spending plans for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15.  The aim of the briefing was to analyse the government's plans and to gauge the likely impact on spending departments and individuals.  The IFS described the budget as regressive and will hit the poorest and families with children the hardest, but also said: “that this is not to say that it is unfair: fairness will always be in the eye of the beholder.”

The briefing featured presentations from:

• Opening remarks (Carl Emmerson, Acting Director)
• Where did the axe fall (Rowena Crawford)
• Cuts to welfare spending (Mike Brewer)
• Distributional analysis of tax and benefit changes (James Browne)
• Who loses most from public service cuts? (Cormac O'Dea)

 More information

All the presentations can be downloaded from the IFS website at www.ifs.org.uk/projects/346