HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has secured almost all of the disputed tax due from the first group of tax avoidance scheme users to receive Accelerated Payment notices.
George Osborne's plan to encourage investment in smaller businesses by removing stamp duty on AIM stocks has been met with a mixed reaction.
The Budget was widely expected to be the most dismal for years, and the Chancellor duly confirmed the UK will miss latest targets for both GDP growth and public debt reduction.
Chancellor George Osborne delivered his fourth Budget address this afternoon, cutting his official growth forecast in half, but insisting the UK would avoid a "triple dip" recession.
The FTSE 100 and sterling have both held on to gains from this morning following Chancellor George Osborne's 2013 Budget speech.