UK's Sunak extends Covid rescue plan but firms to pay more tax from 2023

A tax cut for home-buyers was also extended until the end of June

Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a costly extension of his emergency aid programmes to see Britain's economy through its current coronavirus lockdown, but announced a tax hike for many businesses as he began to focus on fixing the public finances.
 

Delivering an annual budget speech on Wednesday, Sunak said the economy will regain its pre-pandemic size in the middle of 2022, six months earlier than previously forecast, helped by Europe's fastest COVID-19 vaccination programme.
 

But it will remain 3% smaller in five years' time than it would have been without the damage wrought by the coronavirus crisis and extra support