Budget 2010: Darling's key points

Follow the Chancellor's key Budget announcements as they happen...

* Press refresh for further updates and feel free to make comments below *

13:28 - Huge laugh in the house as Darling outlines tax haven crackdown, citing new agreements with Grenada, Belize and Dominica.

13:22 - Chancellor says new Green Investment Bank will contain £2bn of equity - half from asset sales and half private investment.

13:18 - Darling says business rates will be cut for one year from October, meaning a tax reduction for over 500,000 small businesses in England.

13:17 - Darling says a new national investment corporation, to be called UK Finance For Growth, will streamline and improve Government help to small and medium-sized enterprises, overseeing £4bn of support for business. A new Growth Capital Fund will provide fast-growing companies with private capital and will eventually provide £500m of finance - with commercial banks so far agreeing to contribute more than £100m.arling: Legal powers to enforce credit to small businesses.

13:14 - Darling: Legal powers to enforce credit to small businesses.

13:14 - Darling: Bailed-out banks, Lloyds and RBS, will now have to lend a higher-than-expected £94bn to new businesses.

13:11 - Government making progress on attaining £16bn through asset sales.

13:10 - Darling warns spending round from 2011 will be the toughest for decades.

13:08 - Government says its tax plans will raise £19bn towards reducing borrowing.

13:07 - Darling: Inheritance tax threshold will be frozen for a further four years to help pay for the cost of care for older people.

13:06 - Chancellor says guarantees on NHS, Schools and Police will be honoured.

13:01 - Darling: As a share of the economy, borrowing is forecast at 11.8% of GDP this year, 11.1% next year, then 8.5%. In 2012/13 it will be 6.8%, then 5.2%, falling to 4% in 2014/15.

13:00 - Net debt 54% of GDP.

12:58 - Darling says lower-than-expected borrowing levels are down to VAT receipts now £3bn higher than forecast and better company profits leading to higher Corporation Tax receipts.

12:57 - Darling reduces forecast for public sector borrowing from PBR prediction. It was £178bn, it is now £167bn.

12:55 - Darling: Next month's rise in fuel duties will done in stages. Fuel duty will rise by 1p in April, followed by a further 1p rise in October and the remainder in January.

12:54 - Chancellor forecasts the economy to grow by between 1% and 1.5% this year and between 3% and 3.5% in 2011, revised down using Bank of England figures. His forecast for the following years is unchanged.

12:52 - ISA limits to rise in line with inflation going forward.

12:52 - Darling: Stamp duty scrapped up to £250,000 limit - to help first-time buyers.

12:49 Darling: Work/training guarantee for young people to be extended to March 2012.

12:48 - Darling says four times as many people would be out of work if this recession followed the pattern of the previous recession.

12:45 - Chancellor says everyone in the UK is to be guaranteed access to a bank account. This will extend the facility to more than a million currently denied.

12:43 - Darling: UK economy has contracted 6% during recession - less than Japan and Germany.

12:43 - Darling: International tax must be brought forward quickly. "Going it alone, as some have suggested would have bad consequences".

12:41 - Darling: "The Treasury has already received over £8bn in fees and charges from banks and the one-off 50% tax on bankers' bonuses has already raised £2bn".

12:39 - Darling on banks: "We intend to get all taxpayer money back".

12:36 - Darling: "This will be a Budget to secure the recovery, tackle borrowing and invest in Britain's industrial future. It will set out how the Government sticks to its plan to halve the deficit in four years."

12:35 - Darling: £2.5bn package to allow small businesses to invest in future development.

12:33 - Chancellor Alistair Darling describes the Budget as "a Budget for recovery".