Budget

[Loz]

PokerTime Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We have to find a way to close the gap between wages and

> living costs, otherwise the economy is never going to recover.

Isn't is the other way around? We need to get the economy to recover so we can close the gap between wages and living costs?

[PokerTime]

Yes it's a chicken and egg scenario. People need disposable income to spend to regenerate local business. And in turn we need business to provide the disposable income. There are however, larger comapnies that could pay more, but choose not to.

I think government could do far more to facilitate small business, and far more to help some people to work for themselves. In unemployment terms, there are two groups that face particular difficulty. One is the under 25s and the other is the over 45s. Many of those over 45s are extremely knowledgeable and experienced people. It's only the prejudice of employers that keeps them out of employment. They are often people who have worked most of their life only to be made redundant. Some of those people would be great at starting their own business, and it's those kinds of businesses that typically can offer first jobs to under 25s. I think it would be worth government investing in grants to (not loans) to get some of those people working for themselves. There's too much focus on big business imo.