"reported in IT WEEK today page 4 was a reference to the Chancellor's buget seeking to abolish employees who leave a company only to return the next day in a contractor capacity (limited company) and gaining substancial tax advatages. If he does as he says he intends, then the IT contractor industry will be decimated. With the Y2K issue still not resolved this might be a problem. "

"It will increase the number of un married Mothers. Un-employement in the countryside will increase with higher petrol tax. Company cars will be kept longer, increasing the pollution by using worn engines."

"Wealth is created by business. Business is created by men with vision and money. Men with vision and no money create nothing. Budgets that prolong this condition, no matter how clever will change nothing."

"If the stupid Chancellor doesn't realise soon that increasing tobacco tax is counter-productive there won't be a cigarette or roll-up in the land which doesn't come from Europe..."

"Apart from the welcome relief of not having to pay for the company mobile phone out of my own pocket all other measures seemed to be minor "tinkering" only."

"I think yesterdays budget was all as much about what it didn't say as what it did. When all is said and done then I think they have raised taxes and penalised the poorer again."

"Businesses in rural areas are hidden sufferers from the approach to petrol pricing adopted recently by governments. Not only are cars the only way of moving around, petrol prices are generally higher as well - consistently by as much as 4 to 5p a litre."

"Nice to see the budget aimed at the family and at smaller businesses for a change."