Bang go the tax revenuesReuters  AS GORDON BROWN prepares his
budget on April 9th, he will be worrying less about the costs of
fighting in Iraq than many might imagine. Though unwelcome, the
bill for a short war will be quite containable and should not
require tax increases to pay for it. The chancellor's bigger
concern will be about longer-term pressures for higher defence
spending once the war is over.  Mr Brown had already budgeted
for an extra £1 billion ($1.6 billion) and he has now set aside
another £2 billion. This should be just about enough. A short
war is likely to cost £3.5 billion, says Mark Stoker, defence
economist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
That's one Jubilee Line extension, three-and-a-half Millennium
Domes or 25 hospitals.  This estimate, which covers deployment
of troops to and from the Gulf and actual fighting, is based on
the cost of Britain's engagement in the Gulf war of 1991, which
lasted six weeks. Then, as now, Britain deployed about 45,000
troops. The numbe