BUDGET 2008: Rewards for the virtuous and the elderly

Non-drinking, non-smoking, non-driving pensioners who carry wicker baskets to the shops appear to be the winners in a Budget that was heavy on indirect "sin" and green taxes. But the back acne announced on income tax, National Insurance (NI) and stamp duty were light enough for the chancellor to have swapped his despatch box for a now potentially taxable plastic bag.