1.  A balanced budget meant increasing tax rates and reducing public expenditure.

2.  A business rate will also be levied, but both these two components of local authority finance will be radically restructured.

3.  A complete breakdown of budget talks could push rates back up, at least temporarily, analysts concede.

4.  A country with a high inflation rate relative to competitors will generally experience a depreciation in the future external value of its currency.

5.  A doubling of the set-aside rate is not good news, coming at a time when every penny counts.

6.  A dramatically lower savings rate, low growth rates in investment and labor productivity, and stagnating wages are a direct result.

7.  A falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.

8.  A five-year survival rate in lung cancer is still less than ten percent.

9.  A flat rate plan offers reduced rates but only if you call during non-peak hours.