Government's Number Crunching

Here are a few figures for you to think about (courtesy of private-eye.co.uk No1182) and where our tax pounds go :

• £15bn cost to pension funds of Gordon Brown's 1997 "raid" up to 2001
• £20bn cost to pension funds of companies' contributions holidays up to 2001
• +25% Increase in public investment in science announced by Gordon Brown in the budget
• -35% Cuts to science funding announced by the DTI in February
• £2.3bn Initial quote for the NHS IT programme, now estimated at £12.4bn
• £2.3bn Initial quote for the Olympics, now estimated at £9.3bn