To appreciate the full wonder of this Budget it is necessary, as the Chancellor said, to be an optimist.
A basic rule of thumb comes to mind and seems universally accepted: you should be able to keep at least half of every extra pound you earn.
To protect those in fuel poverty, some of the revenue from the gas carbon charge could be given back as a carbon cheque to vulnerable households.
A number of ministers tipped for removal in the reshuffle were nowhere to be seen.
As the jobs market expands, the taper could be lowered. This would leave low hours workers with more money, helping accelerate them into full-time work.
If the Treasury gets its way, the Chancellor will score a big victory. But Ministers should watch for Labour stealing their thunder over taper rates.
This is not something to dismiss lightly, and we must take this as a clarion call to action.
The overseas aid and Universal Credit decisions suggest that, for the first time in a while, the cause of fiscal conservatism is gaining the upper hand.
Plus: Is it really a bad thing if more work from home? And: It’s time to acknowledge private workers’ contributions in the Covid crisis.
Debates around this issue are conducted as if it were politicians’ own money at stake rather than taxpayers’.
One of an occasional series of articles that ConservativeHome is publishing in advance of the Budget.
There will always be a case for just giving people money, but ministers should consider a much wider spread of better-targeted interventions instead.
There may some ingenious halfway house solution. But it is hard to say how extending it for another year can be avoided.
Targeted support aimed at making work pay or supporting families with children would be a wiser use of the money.