THE budget speech heralded good news for green-minded motorists but especially bad news for smokers and drinkers.

In his first budget speech as Chancellor to the House of Commons, Alistair Darling said that Britain is better placed than other economies around the world to withstand the slowdown in the global economy.

He told the Commons: "This year's Budget is a responsible Budget that will secure stability at these times of global uncertainty.”

Growth in the British economy will this year be between 1.75 per cent and 2.25 per cent. The inflation target remains at two per cent.

CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL~ Smokers will pay an extra 11p on a packet of cigarettes from 6pm tonight, and from midnight on Sunday, a further 4p will be added on a pint of beer.

~ Spirits will be up a whopping 55p per bottle and a bottle of wine will set drinkers back an extra 14p.

Kent brewery slams booze tax hike>>>

TRANSPORT~ There was a brief reprieve for car users. A 2p per litre rise in fuel duty due to come into force in April has been postponed until October.

Reaction to the fuel duty delay>>>

~ From 2009, there will be a major reform of car tax bands to encourage drivers to choose the least polluting vehicles. Low emission cars will pay no car tax for the first year from 2010, and higher polluting cars will pay more.

~ There is to be new funding set aside to develop technology for national road pricing to ease congestion.

~ There will also be new measures at Heathrow and other airports to speed up the time taken to get through immigration control, using biometric technology.

HOUSINGThe Treasury is to consult on how to achieve affordable long-term fixed-rate mortgages and will report back at this year's Pre-Budget Report.

~ Also from today, stamp duty on shared-ownership homes for key workers will not be required until buyers own 80 percent of the equity in their home.

~ A review of public sector land has identified sites for 70,000 more homes.

GREEN ISSUESLegislation is to come into force in 2009 that will impose a charge on single-use carrier bags if progress is not made on a voluntary basis.

BENEFITS AND THE ELDERLYMr Darling announced new measures to lift more children out of poverty, and to make it more beneficial for parents to be in work than on benefits, with proposed changes to rules for housing and council tax benefits coming into affect from October 2009.

~ The Government will invest £765million next year and a further £950million the following year to take 250,000 more children out of poverty.

~ Child benefits for a working family with one child on the lowest income will increase to up to £17 a week, and this will rise to £20 a week from April 2009.

~ Winter fuel payments for the over-60s will rise from £200 to £250, and over-80s payments will rise from £300 to £400.

EDUCATIONThe Chancellor announced that the Government will spend £200million reducing low GCSE grades, and there'll be an extra £30million invested in science in schools.

~ An extra £60million will be put aside to help people gain skills for work.

ARMED FORCESThe Government is set to spend an extra £2billion supporting troops on the frontline.

Small businesses react to the budget>>>