Welsh Government draft budget 2023-24 – our views

The Bevan Foundation has submitted written evidence to the Senedd Finance Committee’s scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s draft budget 2023-24.

Each year the Senedd’s Finance Committee scrutinises the Welsh Government’s draft budget ahead of it being debated in plenary.

The Bevan Foundation has submitted written evidence to the committee, outlining our views on the draft budget. The key points are:

• We recognise that the Welsh Government’s budget has been produced at a time of significant social, economic and environmental challenges, and that its block grant has required some tough choices.
• The need to invest in recovery from the pandemic strengthens the case for increasing the Welsh Rate of Income Tax and for radical reforms of other taxes. There is a case of expanding powers over income tax to include bands as well as rates in future.
• We welcome the steps taken to ease cost of living pressures on low-income households in 2022-23.
• We understand that there are fewer resources in 2023-24, but are disappointed at the lack of provision for 16–18-year-old low-income learners and constraints on investment in social housing and energy efficiency / fuel poverty. We are particularly concerned about the impact of inflation on people in rural communities.
• Short-term measures to ease cost of living pressures are not a substitute for action to reduce poverty. Such action needs to focus on the three essentials of providing goods and services to meet needs; supporting progression into and through work; and enabling people in all communities to access services such as health, education and transport.

Download our written evidence below and watch our oral evidence on 12th January 2023 – details of how to watch will be posted here. 

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