IT is the time of year when hopes are raised that the purse strings of public finance will be loosened and that taxes will suddenly become not quite so taxing.
This week Chancellor Philip Hammond will deliver his first Spring budget, setting spending targets and priorities for the Westminster government.
And while in years gone by the cost of cigarettes, alcohol and petrol would be the chief concerns of most everyday folk, the austerity budgets of recent times and the looming financial clouds brought about by the decision to leave the EU mean that the general state of the economy is now the most pressing thing on many people’s minds.
The Herald spoke to a cross section of Scots to see what they want Mr Hammond to deliver on Wednesday.
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Pensioner Andrew McMorrine, 69, spent his working life teaching art to secondary pupils in Glasgow, the Outer Isles and Skye, where he was for many years principal teacher in the subject at Portree High School.
His hopes for the Budget focus on the needs of young people, who he says have to cope with rising rents and unaffordable housing without the job security his generation took for granted.
The grandfather-of-three said: “There has been a lot of talk in recent years about ours being the lucky generation, with all the economic benefits we enjoyed.
“So many young people today, have it tougher. Too many young people have to rely on the likes of zero-hours contracts, part-time working and jobs which will lead nowhere. Too many are exploited by unscrupulous employers.
“I dearly hope that the Chancellor will show that he recognises the crisis that faces so many of our young people, in getting a job and a home, and start to address it.
“If he doesn’t I think the future could be pretty grim.
“We have devolved responsibilities and almost a superabundance of political representation, let them co-operate and deliver to every corner of our remarkable lands.”
Businesswoman and mother-of-two Ruth McKay, of Edinburgh, who runs digital advertising company Uniq Marketing and Design, wanted to see tax reforms for small businesses.
She said: “The continued cuts in the public sector are a real concern.
“From a business perspective greater tax benefits for small and micro businesses offset the minimum wage, which makes it difficult for these businesses to expand.”
CONFIDENCE: Stuart and Jo Chidley run Beauty Kitchen.
Stuart Chidley, of Wishaw, the 40-year-old chief executive of health and beauty company Beauty Kitchen, said confidence needed to be supported in“very uncertain” post-Brexit times.
He said: “Major infrastructure projects and investment will be needed to see us through any Brexit-related economic downturn.
“And there must be investment in HMRC to ensure that the tax that is due is collected, and, more importantly, that they deliver better customer service.”
STUDENT: Jenna Mitchell with her daughter Jenna, five.
Health and Social Care student Jenna Mitchell, who attends Dundee and Angus College, said that social welfare should be the Chancellor’s top priority.
She said: “As well as being a student, I work part time and I have a five-year-old daughter, so it’s really important to me that there is some sort of help for working mothers because I am struggling.
“Childcare is very expensive and it eats up a lot of my wages. I do not qualify for working tax credits because I do not work enough hours.”
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