There can hardly be a household or business in Britain that will not be faced with higher bills imminently.
The list of added costs is a long and demoralising one, especially because it mostly comprises items that are simply unavoidable: council tax; energy tariffs; water charges; broadband and phone subscriptions; the television licence; the road fund licence; stamp duty up – and, most important of all – the 2 per cent hike in employers’ national insurance contributions and the continuing freeze on personal income tax thresholds.
