The Miras scheme - currently 10% on loans up to �30,000 - has been gradually phased out from the days when it used to be applied at the basic rate of income tax.

For employees, the Class 1 NIC lower earnings limit raised from �66 a week to �76, and the upper limit from �485 a week to �535. These are to go up again (to �87 and �575) in April 2001 as the chancellor aligns PAYE and NIC rates.

For the self-employed, Class 2 NIC cut from �6.35 to �2 a week and Class 4 raised from 6% to 7%.

In the pre-Budget report in November, the chancellor proposed a raft of small measures aimed at boosting donations to charity, including a 10% government supplement to payroll giving for three years and abolishing restrictions on minimum and maximum amounts.

For profits up to �10,000, the starting rate of corporation tax becomes 10%, with a marginal rate to be announced from �10,000 to �50,000. The small companies rate (currently 20%) then applies up to �300,000.

Known as Aesop, this will allow listed and unlisted companies to give employees performance related shares up to �3,000 a year, or the opportunity to buy shares up to �1,500 a year out of gross salary, with the company able to give up to two free shares for each one they buy.

Allows small and medium-sized companies (typically high-tech) to give stock options to 10 key employees over shares worth up to �100,000 per employee.

Larger companies that take stakes of up to 30% in small higher-risk firms will get corporation tax relief at 20% provided they retain the shares for three years. Critics have said the scheme is too complex to make much impression.

Raised for small and medium-sized companies from 100% to 150% of expenditure over �25,000.

The chancellor wants to stop people setting themselves up as companies to offer their services on a self-employed basis when they would otherwise be employees. The Inland Revenue has announced proposals (IR35) to take effect in April whereby someone supplying a service directly to a company in this way will be treated as an employee for PAYE and NIC purposes.

This measure has provoked a storm of protest from consultants, particularly in IT, who say their income will be dramatically reduced for no good reason. Many have said they will leave the country, and there have been claims that thousands of small firms will be forced out of business. The chancellor may announce changes to improve the scheme, which critics say was never put through a proper process of consultation.

The capital gain on business assets is gradually reduced (tapered) according to the length of time the asset is held. To encourage enterprise, the chancellor is reducing the period required to accrue maximum relief from 10 years to five years.

The chancellor said in his pre-Budget report he would be taking steps in the Budget to counter avoidance. A typical example would be when properties and other assets are packaged into special purpose companies, which are then sold subject to the 0.5% rate of stamp duty on shares rather than the top rate of 3.5% on properties worth more than �500,000.