Economics / Markets

George Osborne is set to announce a reduction in the top rate of income tax - but with implementation postponed for a year, according to reports.

BUDGET 2012

CPI annual inflation fell to 3.4% in February, down from 3.6% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Office for Budget Responsibility will revise up its growth forecasts for the UK economy in Wednesday's Budget, reports suggest.

OLD ENOUGH

European indices opened in the red on Monday, reversing some of last week's gains which lifted markets to levels unseen since last summer.

Well, it's that time of year again as we all wait for the fall-out from the forthcoming Budget.

FIVE THINGS

Hector Sants is to quit the FSA in the summer, and will not become deputy governor of the Bank of England or CEO of the Prudential Regulation Authority.

The UK will lose its AAA credit rating by December, MAM Funds' Simon Callow has said, after Fitch became the second ratings agency to place the economy on negative watch.