A UK Treasury spokeswoman today confirmed that Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown will deliver the government's budget for the next fiscal year on 9 April. The budget will be delivered at 12.30pm, three hours earlier than usual, due to changes in House of Commons hours. The budget, which is usually presented in March, has been held back after reports Brown was reluctant to deliver it given the impact of the Iraq situation on the Treasury's updated economic and budget deficit forecasts. While analysts widely expect there will be no major tax changes in the budget, which covers the fiscal year starting 1 April, Brown has said the government will introduce measures to improve the business climate in the UK. He has pledged to cut red tape and provide incentives for business creation, and has highlighted the Treasury's "unprecedented" co-operation with the Confederation of British Industry to explore measures that would boost productivity growth. The UK has one of the lowest rates of productivity in advanced economies.// www.fxcentre.com