A leviathon in sheep's clothing

Let’s overlook for a moment what the Chancellor’s pre-budget report has brought the Great British public (£2.2bn more in taxation), and instead address the following. If I said to you, without any elaboration, I was delivering a ‘pre-budget report’, what would you think I was doing? Would it be:

a) Delivering a mini-budget raising taxes overall, whilst leaving you with the impression I had actually reduced taxation; or

b) Delivering a report, which does not alter the current level of taxation in any way, prior to the budget in the coming year

Personally I think the name ‘pre-budget report’ gives the impression the latter should be happening. Of course in the world of New Labour, nothing is as it seems (it just wouldn’t do to be straight forward with people).

So there we have it, the pre-budget report; a leviathan in sheep’s clothing.