Darling prepares for first Budget
Written: 12th March, 2008
Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to announce higher taxes on alcohol and the most polluting cars when he unveils his first Budget later.
Reports suggest he may also replace air passenger duty with a tax on flights.
But the BBC has learned he will delay a planned 2p rise in fuel duty, after crude oil prices hit a record high.
The Tories say the government borrowed so much it cannot cut taxes to boost the economy. The Lib Dems say it should prepare the UK for an "economic storm".
Mr Darling is thought unlikely to make big tax cuts, owing to economic uncertainty and strained public finances.