Almost half of Scots say they will be worse off as a result of the Budget according to a new poll. And most don't think the Budget will be good for Scotland.
According to the YouGov poll, conducted immediately after Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget on Wednesday it found that 44 per cent believed the Chancellor should not cut public spending too soon, as it may endanger economic recovery.
This compares with 38 per cent who say that the Government should cut spending "sooner rather than later."
Mr Darling confirmed on Wednesday that the Government would stick to a 2.2% real terms rise on spending this year but warned spending cuts after 2011 would be the "toughest for decades".
But 22 per cent thought Labour were being most honest with them about the economy, compared with 14 per cent each for the Lib Dems and Tories.
The poll for the Scotsman found that 48% said that the Budget will mean they are worse off, compared with 37 per cent who said it won't make any difference. Only 3% said that the Budget would leave them better off.
And 46 per cent said it will make no difference for Scotland, while 30% said it would be bad. Only 5% said it would be good, with the remainder "don't knows".
The deficit should be reduced through public spending cuts and not tax rises, according to 47 per cent of those polled. More than a third – 34 per cent - did back rises in tax, while 20 per cent didn't know.
Mr Darling cut stamp duty for first-time home buyers on Wednesday, but unveiled a series of tax increases for the better-off.
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