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The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) judges that there will be a period of economic uncertainty as the UK negotiates its departure from the EU. The UK GDP grew 2.2% in 2015 and growth has remained solid in the first three quarters of 2016. Raising productivity is the central long-term economic challenge. The Autumn Statement announces a new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) which will target 4 areas: housing, transport, digital communications, and research and development. It will provide 23 billion of spending between 2017-18 and 2021-22. It includes the biggest affordable housing programme since the 1970s, resurfacing 80% of the strategic road network, the largest investment in the railways since Victorian times, and prioritising science and innovation spending. NPIF will take the total spend to 170 billion over the next 5 years and Public Sector Gross Investment is forecast to be at least 4% of GDP each year of this Parliament. The Autumn Statement 2016 sets out some of the following, including: a new Housing Infrastructure Fund of 2.3 billion by 2020-21; an additional 1.1 billion by 2020-21 in new funding to relieve congestion and upgrades on local roads and public transport networks and 390 million to support ultra-low emission vehicles; 1 billion by 2020-21 targeted at supporting the market to roll-out full-fibre connections and future 5G; an additional 4.7 billion will be provided for R&D funding; 1.8 billion to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England. The government also confirms it will raise the income tax personal allowance to 12,500 and the higher rate threshold to 50,000 by the end of Parliament. Fuel duty will remain frozen for the seventh successive year. The government will publish draft legislation for the soft drinks industry and National Savings and Investment will offer a new market leading 3-year savings bond and that tax free child care will be introduced gradually from early 2017.