Gordon Brown has revised his growth forecasts but insisted that Britain is weathering the economic slowdown better than its European counterparts.

In a 58-minute speech, the chancellor said he was "meeting our responsibilities abroad and at home" at a time of global uncertainty.

Brown said he was standing "steadfast for stability, enterprise and full employment".

He was "tackling inequality, renewing public services" to build a "Britain of economic strength and social justice".

Forum Response: The Bingo Association

Sir Peter Fry, chairman of the Bingo Association, said: "The chancellor has missed the chance to make a real difference for bingo players and the industry. Although this rate would appear to be an improvement on the old 10 per cent duty, the reality for our clubs is that it will make little difference to them.

"Leaving VAT on participation fees means that clubs will have much less to give back to players in increased prizes. A GPT rate of 15 per cent would have generated an additional £482 million for players. The system announced today halves that figure.

"The chancellor has failed to deliver his commitment to provide growth for the industry and to help many smaller clubs who are penalised by the current system. This is not the better deal that we were promised - the overall tax burden on bingo remains high, affecting both the player and the industry, with tax merely paid at a different point in the system.

"It is difficult to see why the chancellor has not taken steps to reduce the excessive tax burden on bingo, bringing it into line with betting and pools, as he proposed. The introduction of GPT at 15 per cent for betting gave a better deal to millions of men who enjoy a flutter."

"I am sure that our players will be wondering why the chancellor is unwilling to do the same for the millions of women who enjoy bingo."

Forum Response: British Airways

A spokesman for British Airways told ePolitix.com: "There are no real surprises in this year's Budget for British Airways.

"We were not anticipating that Air Passenger Duty would rise as the government is currently undertaking a consultation on economic measures to improve environmental performance in aviation and APD will be discussed as part of that consultation."

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the BRC, said: "It is good to know that the Treasury has listened to the retail sector, especially at this time of weakening consumer demand.

"After a sustained, targeted campaign by the BRC, today's announcement means the level of increase has been minimised, 60 per cent of commercial transactions have been exempted and the introduction has been delayed to give time for further consultation.

"This is especially good news for small retail businesses and look forward to further meaningful dialogue with the Treasury on the issue."

Forum Response: Professional Association of Nursery Nurses

Tricia Pritchard, professional officer of PANN, said: "We believe that parents who employ nannies should qualify for tax credits. At the moment, all other forms of childcare are covered by the tax credits, but nannies are excluded.

"Many people no longer work a standard Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 working week. Therefore more parents look to the flexibility of childcare offered by nannies. However, the limiting factor is affordability. Large numbers of parents on middle and lower incomes are struggling to meet childcare costs and are having their choices limited because not all areas of childcare attract tax credits."

Forum Response: Building Societies Association

Adrian Coles, director general of the BSA said: "The Building Societies Association welcomes confirmation by the chancellor that Child Trust Funds will be given to all children borne from September 2002. Building societies are ideally placed to offer Child Trust Funds, as they have traditionally provided simple savings accounts at good value. As collectively owned mutual institutions, building societies can offer better rates to their savers, rather than paying a dividend to shareholders.

"Child Trust Funds will not only provide a good start in life for children, they will help educate a new generation about savings. Financial literacy is a key skill for young people, especially as the level of personal debt is at an all time high.

"The children born from September 2002 will have a head start to their savings which should make their first steps into adulthood easier."

Forum Response: The Children's Society

Dave Ely, policy manager of the Children's Society, said: "We welcome the introduction of Children's Trust Funds, which we feel will give all children a financial stake in society by saving for their future. Our concern is whether this gift will be given one hand and taken back by another.

"If this money is to be grasped back by the chancellor by deducting sums from state benefits, or tax credits, then this will penalise the poorest families This is no substitute for wider anti-poverty measures because poorer families will be less able to top up their child's trust fund.

"In light of how some pension schemes have performed, we would like to see some kind of guarantee that young people aren't short changed at the end of 18 years. These trust funds need to be run by reputable financial organisations with the final amount under written by the government.

"We also hope that young people themselves will be given the choice of how best to spend this money when they turn 18 with no government strings attached.

"We welcome the Tax Credit system as a contribution to lifting young people and their families out of poverty. But the childcare tax credit should pay 100 per cent of child care costs and not 70 per cent in order to reduce family poverty."

Forum Response: National Consumer Council

Deirdre Hutton, chairman for the National Consumer Council, said: "On the Child Trust Fund - children born from September last year will benefit from a £250 endowment - rising to £500 for those whose families are on a low income.

"This is extremely good news for all young families, and especially so for those on low incomes. It is now vital that, as the fine detail of the scheme is thrashed out over the summer, the particular needs of low-income families are recognised. There must be controls on the riskiness of trust fund savings products and a cap on the product charges.

"Tailored regulation is essential for an active economy, but government must also take a consumer perspective - consumers must not be left at a disadvantage in the drive to cut red tape."

Forum Response: RNIB

A spokesman for the RNIB said: ""We welcome the rise of the guaranteed minimum income through the WorkingTax Credit, for a single disabled person working 35 hours a week, to £194."

"However, we had hoped that the chancellor would use the Budget to remove VAT from audio books, equalising the VAT paid on written books and audio books. For many people with sight loss, audio books are the only ones they can read, and full-length audio books usually cost much more than their print equivalent."