Taking Stock - Radio One DJ's top ten countdown is taxing.

The countdown to the Budget is well and truly underway. Politicians are politiking, spinners are spinning and Radio One DJs are tipping the fiscal rabbits they expect Gordon Brown to pull out of his red box next month. Same old, same old. TS logged on to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Budget website this week to listen to the rundown of Mark Goodier’s Top Ten Budget Tips. It makes for a beautiful combination of tax, technology and tackiness. With the trademark top ten countdown music in the background – you know the one – Mark takes us through his predictions for Gordon’s big day. ‘Hello, this is Mark Goodier with the PricewaterhouseCoopers top ten countdown,’ the king of the charts tells us. ‘There’s a new entry at number ten from hypothecation who first hit the fiscal music scene last November and is now back with higher income tax or national insurance contributions to pay for the health service. Watch out for this catchy hypothecation theme – it could well be a lot higher in the up-and-coming election chart.’ How about that, pop pickers? And he’s not finished – e-commerce, inheritance tax and capital gains tax reforms are all in the top ten. ‘In at number six and a popular high climber – reforming the tax treatment for intellectual property,’ Mark continues. ‘That’s tax breaks for good ideas to you and me.’ What’s that? Is Mark’s tax knowledge some way short of poptastic? No matter. With Mark dipping a toe in the heady waters of tax advice, maybe we should expect PwC tax supremo John Whiting – Mark’s scriptwriter, TS suspects – to get a Radio One show of his own sometime soon. After all, he is so good with the punters.