Chancellor George Osborne is set to deliver his budget today - and Kent will be a key focus with confirmation of a new "garden city" of 15,000 homes for Ebbsfleet.

The Budget will set out the government's spending plans for the next year and will be an important backdrop for the forthcoming general election in 2015.

Many of the announcements from the Chancellor are already known, such as the personal income tax allowance rising in April from £9,440 to £10,000.

The government is under pressure to take more people out of the higher 40% tax bracket.

Since the election, 1.4million workers have been dragged into the 40p tax band, which kicks in at £41,450. There are 4.4million people paying the higher rate, up from 3.02million when the coalition came to power.

For businesses, the corporation tax rate is being cut from 23% to 21% and will go down again to 20% in April next year.

Business rates will be cut next month, and a relief for small companies has been extended to April 2015.

For all today's budget news, follow Kent Business on Twitter @KentBusiness, our political editor Paul Francis @PaulOnPolitics and our business editor Chris Price @TheChrisPrice.