His budget may have produced an eye-catching gift for first-time buyers, but for business it certainly was not Christmas come early. In fairness, as the chancellor acknowledged in his address to the House of Commons, he was dealt a difficult hand. This was linked to the OBR’s admission that they’ve been over-optimistic about productivity, which ultimately dictates potential economic and wage growth, for several years. Raising productivity is a long-term challenge, which we hope the government’s industrial strategy will go some way towards solving. Perhaps the most significant question in the near term, however, is how the chancellor’s plans will…

Source: The Times November 27, 2017 02:26 UTC