HIGHLIGHTS-UK Darling's 2010 Budget statement to parliament

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Below are highlights from British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling's Budget statement to parliament on Wednesday.

ON ANTI TAX AVOIDANCE MEASURES:

"I am determined to continue our successful drive to prevent avoidance and evasion. Measures in this Budget will bring in additional tax worth half a billion pounds each year, while protecting 4 billion pounds worth of revenues by 2012-13."

ON GREEN BANK:

"I am setting up a new Green Investment Bank. It will control 2 billion pounds worth of equity. Half will come from the asset sales, including the Channel Tunnel rail link, with the rest matched by private investment."

ON HELPING BUSINESSES:

"I have decided to cut business rates for one year from October."

"I will help small businesses to expand by doubling the annual investment allowance to 100,000 pounds."

ON NEW BANKS:

"The Financial Services Authority will improve and speed up the licensing process for new banks."

ON BANK LENDING:

"Over the next year, I have agreed that RBS and Lloyds will provide a total of 94 billion pounds of new business loans."

ON GOVT ASSET SALES:

"On the Student Loan Book, we are looking to appoint advisors in the next couple of months to develop a sales proposal."

"On the Tote we are on track to launch a sale process this summer. We are also finalising options on the sale of the Dartford Crossing."

ON GOVT COST SAVINGS:

"At the Pre-Budget Report we committed government departments to find over 11 billion pounds of new savings through reforms, without damaging front-line services. Departments will today publish details of how they will make these savings from 2011, as we work towards the spending review."

"The number of civil servants in London will be reduced by a third."

ON TAX/ SPENDING PLANS:

"We will stick to our spending plans for next year, which will see a 2.2 percent real-terms increase."

"Our tax plans will raise 19 billion pounds towards reducing borrowing."

ON INHERITANCE TAX:

"I have also decided to freeze the inheritance tax threshold for a further four years."

ON TOBACCO DUTY:

"Tobacco duty will increase from today by 1 percent above inflation and then increase by 2 percent in real terms each year until 2014."

ON FUEL DUTY/LANDFILL TAX:

"The planned increase in fuel duty and landfill tax will continue for one year from 2014."

ON ALCOHOL TAX:

"Duty on beer, wine and spirits will increase as planned from midnight on Sunday."

"Alcohol duties will also increase by 2 percent above inflation for two further years from 2013."

"Duty on cider will increase by 10 percent above inflation from midnight on Sunday. In September changes will be made to the definition of cider to ensure specific strong ciders are taxed more appropriately."

ON TAX RATES:

"I have no further announcements on VAT, on income tax, or National Insurance rates."

ON CUTTING DEFICIT:

"To start cutting now risks derailing the recovery - which is already bringing down borrowing more rapidly than expected. To go faster, in the face of uncertainty, would mean taking a huge risk with people's jobs, incomes and our future."

ON NET DEBT:

"Public sector net debt here will reach 54 percent of GDP this year. It will then increase to 75 percent by the end of the forecast period in 2014-15. Net debt, as a share of GDP, will begin to fall the year after that."

ON STRUCTURAL DEFICIT:

"The structural deficit, which takes into account the economic cycle, is estimated to be 8.4 percent of GDP this year and fall to 2.5 per cent by the end of the (four-year) period."

ON PUBLIC BORROWING:

"Borrowing this year should now be 11 billion pounds lower than forecast, at 167 billion pounds."

"In 2010-11, in part because of one-off factors boosting receipts such as this year's tax on bank bonuses, borrowing will be 163 billion pounds."

"Borrowing will fall to 131 billion pounds in 2011-12; then 110 billion pounds; in 2013-14 it will be 89 billion pounds; and it will reach 74 billion pounds in 2014-15."

"Borrowing is forecast at 11.8 percent of GDP this year. It will then fall to 11.1 percent next year; then 8.5 percent; in 2012-13 it will be 6.8 percent; then 5.2 percent; and fall to 4.0 percent in 2014-15."

ON FUEL DUTY:

"I have decided to stage next month's increase in fuel duties. Instead of the planned increase, fuel duty will rise by a penny in April, less than inflation. This will be followed by a further one penny rise in October and the remainder in January."

ON GDP GROWTH:

"This year ... I expect the economy to grow by between 1 and 1.5 percent. I will bring my forecast for 2011 in line with that of the Bank of England, to growth of between 3 and 3.5 percent."

"As the economy continues to rebalance following the recession, my forecast for the following years is unchanged."

ON ISA LIMITS:

"I have decided that ISA limits will increase annually in line with inflation."

ON STAMP DUTY:

"I will double the stamp duty limit for first time buyers from midnight tonight - from 125,000 pounds to 250,000 pounds, for this year and next."

"This relief will be funded through an increase in the stamp duty to 5 percent for residential property over 1 million pounds, from April next year."

ON JOBS/TRAINING FOR YOUNG:

"I have introduced a guarantee of a job or training for every 18 to 24-year-old after six months out of work ... this was to run until March next year."

"Because unemployment has been lower than forecast, the cost has been lower than expected. I have therefore decided to use the money saved to extend our guaranteed offer to young people until March 2012."

ON TAX CREDIT:

"To make it easier for those over 60 to receive Working Tax Credit, we will reduce the minimum number of hours they need to work to be eligible."

ON INTERNATIONAL BANK TAX:

"More countries now agree on the need for an international systemic tax on banks. This must be brought forward quickly, as I will urge international Finance Ministers in Washington next month."

"I agree with all those who think that such a tax should be internationally co-ordinated."

ON CAPITAL AND LIQUIDITY:

"The G20 countries must put in place new rules on capital and liquidity by the end of the year."

ON BANK BONUS TAX:

"At the Pre-Budget Report I put in place a one-off 50 percent tax on the excessive bonuses of bankers ... this tax has raised 2 billion pounds, more than twice as much as was forecast."

ON BANK SHARES:

"We will sell our shares in RBS and Lloyds, as well as Northern Rock, in a way that maximises value for the taxpayer and recoups the money we invested."

ON INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

"It is imperative that EU countries act with renewed energy and vigour to get the European economy moving forward again ... Such continued international action is crucial, not only to global prospects, but to each and every country's future."

ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY:

"There is nothing pre-ordained about continued recovery. There are still uncertainties. Financial markets are febrile."

"Confidence has not fully returned to either businesses or consumers. And this is particularly the case in Europe."

ON GROWTH PACKAGE:

"This Budget will set out a route for the country to long-term prosperity. At its heart is a 2.5 billion pound one-off growth package."

"This package will be paid for by switching spending from within existing allocations and the extra proceeds from the tax on bank bonuses."

ON CUTTING DEFICIT:

"This will be a Budget to secure the recovery, tackle borrowing and invest in our industrial future. It will continue targeted support for businesses and families where and when it is needed. It will set out how we stick to our plan to halve the deficit within four years."

ON BORROWING: "Unemployment here in the UK has not risen as much as was feared. Borrowing, as I will explain later, is lower than forecast last year." (Compiled by Kylie MacLellan)