• International backing grows for ‘Robin Hood tax’ on banks
  Larry Elliott reports in the Observer on a draft IMF paper which is much more positive about financial transactions taxes (FTTs), ahead of a meeting of European Union finance ministers which will consider an EU FTT.

• Video – Pelosi: Transaction Tax Has “Great Deal Of Merit”
  Nancy Pelosi, leader of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives, indicates support for a financial transactions tax.

• So, how much debt is too much? More than the government admits | Comment is Free
  Paul Segal has a great post on Comment is Free that demolishes the arguments that we cannot afford to run deficit.

• Women and cuts – new report by Ken Livingstone
  Women in London will face a disproportionate share of public spending cuts, according to a new report, published today by Ken Livingston. The cuts in benefits and tax credits for families and children, the assault on Housing Benefit and the switch to uprating by the Consumer Price Index will all affect women disproportionately.
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• Hague says human rights are key to our foreign policy – Telegraph
  Bouncing back from recent leaks suggesting that William Hague was downgrading human rights work at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, this article stresses his commitment to human rights, and affirms that issues will be raised with allies and opponents. But what it doesn't say is just as instructive. Like the previous Labour Government, Hague says that the coalition will speak out – but will they act? Will trade policy reflect our commitment to human rights, or arms trading, or development? Speaking out about human rights abuses is absolutely right, and welcome. But making abuse of human rights pay would be even better – and slightly more likely to have an impact.

• ARC-Defeating the Deficit
  ARC is the Association of Revenue and Collection. It's part of the civil service union, the FDA. They have launched a campaign to press the obvious point that reducing numbers at HMRC will lead to a fall in tax income.
• Andrew Mitchell soothes charities’ fears over planned DFID cuts
  NGOs have expressed serious concerns about reports suggesting DFID was dropping many of the commitments made by the previous Government. Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell has been working hard to dispel that suggestion.

• Faisal Islam on Economics – Budget: time to admit poorest hit hardest?
  Faisal Islam documents the IFS's defence against Nick Clegg's criticisms of their evidence

• Institute for New Economic Thinking
  Lots of heavyweight progressive economists are involved in this wonkfest – hat tip Duncan

• Report shows cutting road safety cameras will kill more people …

• FT.com / Comment / Opinion – Upward mobility and falling budgets mix badly
  Paul Gregg on social mobility and spending cuts

• What is happening on global bank taxes? Robin Hood reports from the frontline
  Oxfam's Max Lawson gives a roundup of the prospects for some of the different bank tax ideas currently on the table.
• ICO defends privacy interest over benefit crackdown
  wiredgov reports on the Information Commissioner's concerns that the Government's benefits crackdown plans might be a snoop too far for data protection rules.

• Letters: The benefits of chasing tax dodgers | Politics | The Guardian
  Interesting responses to the Prime Minister's views on benefit fraud from Tax Research and Community Links

• Early signs suggest Osborne’s gamble is not paying off
  Tony Dolphin on Left Foot Forward looks at the strategy of sacrificing public sector demand in the hope that the private sector ond exports will take the strain. It doesn't seem to be working.

• The Saving Challenge – from the Sherwood Treasury
  Robin Hood (he of the Tax) has had a clever wheeze. Wonder where he got the idea for this ‘consultation site’, looking for people’s thoughts on ways to bring in more money, rather than ways to cut more spending? Why not take a minute or two to chuck in your own 2pworth?
• Will the Labour market take a turn for the worse this week?
  Over at Left Foot Forward, Richard has a post suggesting that the medium-term prospects for employment don’t look so good.
• The coalition’s cuts: three different cases
  Richard has a post on Liberal Conspiracy, rounding up news on the impact of recent public service cuts.

Here are some videos of yesterday’s Cuts Briefing event, “Did the Budget pass the fairness test?”. We’ve got the opening presentations by Tim Horton of the Fabian Society, showing how the brunt of the losses are borne across the UK’s income groups, Professor Ruth Lister on the impact on women and families, and Richard Capie of the Chartered Institute of Housing on the likley implications for housing.

Ruth Lister has also outlined some of her arguments in a guest post for us.

And our own Richard Exell has also done a quick round up of the whole event for the blog, which you can read here.

Here are some videos from today’s employment regulation debate at Congress House. Brendan Barber and Howard Reed (independent economist) debated the cases for and against deregulation with David Frost (British Chamber of Commerce Director General) and Professor Francis Chittenden (Manchester Business School), with Christine Buckley in the chair. We’ve video of all four speakers’ opening arguments:

The speeches drew heavily on the arguments set out in the TUC’s Red Tape Delusion and the BCC’s Employment Regulation: Up for the Job?.

• The coalition’s economic strategy will reduce growth and cut jobs and support for the unemployed
  Nicola has a guest post at LabourList, looking at what the Government’s economic policy to date may mean for the health of the UK labour market.
• The Independent View: Child poverty
  Richard has a guest post on Lib Dem Voice: “In 1999, the government announced that it meant to end child poverty by 2020. Making progress towards that objective is now the responsibility of the Coalition; how well is it likely to do?”

• The CBI’s anti-strike rhetoric is anti-democratic
  The TUC’s Sarah Veale writes for Left Foot Forward on the CBI’s ideas to reduce the scope  for industrial action: “At the moment a simple majority of those balloted must vote in favour for the strike to be legal. The CBI proposals would mean that not only must there be a majority but in addition 40 per cent of those balloted must vote “yes”. In other words abstentions and non-voting would count as votes against. If these rules were to be applied to, say, local authority elections, there would be very few councils operating.”

• Obama’s letter to G20 nations on forex, financial reform
  Reuters have published the full text of President Barak Obama’s letter to the G20, where he states that “we must be flexible in adjusting the pace of consolidation and learn from the consequential mistakes of the past when stimulus was too quickly withdrawn and resulted in renewed economic hardships and recession.”
• Free school meals: Health professionals join the backlash over cuts
  Rachel Williams reports in the Guardian that a coaltion of health professionals has written to Michael Gove, objecting to the Department for Education’s free school meals funding cut
• Something For Nothing: Changing negative attitudes to people living in poverty
  Oxfam have published a new briefing paper discussing the contribution that people living in poverty make to the UK ‘s economy and society. It also explores the barriers faced by people seeking to move from benefits into work.
• In depth – Spending cuts spark fears for growth
  The FT report on new analysis by NIESR, which suggests that today’s spending cuts will be a significant drag on growth over future years.

Join us from noon, where we’ll be discussing George Osborne’s budget with Left Foot Forward, New Statesman and a host of other bloggers and commentators. Have your say by contributing to the chat or using Twitter – we’ll be publishing a selection of tweets using the #budget hashtag.