The buzz words on the fiscal policy of the British chancellor, Gordon Brown, have been "redistribution by stealth". What this means is that he has redistributed income and resources to the poorer members of the population, or those regarded as worthy, by means of backdoor tax increases that the middle or upper range of taxpayers has not noticed - or at least accepted....more

IFS ANALYSIS
Most gain, home-owning smokers lose
Every part of the population gains on average from the Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said - but far from everyone is a winner....more

SKETCH
Brown's sombre affair for the FEW
It was billed as a Budget for the "Family, Enterprise and Work", until some bright-spark lobby journalist noticed the initials spelled the word FEW. ...more

LEX
Taking the politics out of mergers
Taking the politics out of the merger process is welcome. But until we have more detail it is impossible to judge how far ministers will really go in airbrushing themselves out of the picture. ...more

SMALL BUSINESS
Incentive scheme to retain staff
The venture capital industry gave a cautious welcome to the chancellor's proposed incentive scheme to help small companies recruit and retain senior executives....more

JULIAN LE GRAND
Redistribution of sorts
After the previous Budget, Chancellor Gordon Brown was accused by some - and praised by others - of introducing a policy of redistribution by stealth. ...more

BARRY RILEY
No crowding in
There were quibbles in the gilt-edged market last night about the Budget's slight apparent loosening of fiscal policy - which might imply marginally less downwards leeway for the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee on interest rates. ...more