UK News 03-12-2004 Congratulations, Gordon who: Gordon Brown what: Says secondary schools will be open from 8am-6pm to help parents in full-time work where: House of Commons, LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Tony Blair will use a speech in Edinburgh to congratulate Gordon Brown for creating and promoting economic stability," says the BBC, following yesterday`s pre-Budget report in the House of Commons, yesterday. Critics have called the chancellor`s figures overly optimistic and dismissed fresh spending plans as election sweeteners, but Mr Blair "will say Mr Brown has provided the cornerstone of Labour`s achievements in government". "The Pre-Budget Report was dedicated to a vision of the next ten years as a British decade," says Anatole Kaletsky in The Times, "when the country`s success will depend on building on our historic stability and strengths. "Mr Brown`s policies were not just directed at the next election, but the one after." Family-friendly spending plans include state care for all children aged three to 14 from 8am till 6pm to assist parents in full-time work. Minister for children Margaret Hodge calls it "nothing less than a childcare revolution," says The Independent. Motorists can look forward to a freeze on fuel duty - at a cost of £665million to the Treasury next year - but The Financial Times says accountants and lawyers let out "a collective squeal" over proposals to raise £3.5billion by 2008 from a crackdown on tax avoidance. Although the days are gone when companies were able to avoid tax and national insurance by paying bonuses in diamonds or gold bullion, recent City schemes have involved setting up dummy companies in order to pay bonuses via dividends and Mr Brown`s new regulations will be retrospective, meaning the full burden of tax will be payable on earnings even if the Inland Revenue initially overlooks something it later considers to be unsatisfactory. [... more]

What The Papers Say is delivered to thousands of readers every morning by web, WAP and email. Sign up today!