The Prime Minister refused to back down over the controversial
rise in National Insurance contributions for the self - employed, but announced a series of concessions to buy time before the policy faces a Commons vote.
But Tory MPs were less amused when it emerged that the chancellor might have smashed up a key Tory manifesto pledge - by announcing a rise
in National Insurance contributions for the self - employed.
Tony Dolphin, chief economist at IPPR, has already made practical suggestions and called for the Monetary Policy Committee to authorise an increase in quantitative easing and the Chancellor to implement a temporary
cut in national insurance contributions.
«If Labour is elected next month we will guarantee that for the next five years there will be no tax rises for income taxpayers earning less than # 80,000 a year, no hikes in VAT, and no
changes in your National Insurance Contributions either.
Ed Miliband is facing growing pressure from all wings of the Labour party to face down his shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, by backing a rise
in national insurance contributions as a way to fund the NHS for future generations.
Dr Cable went on the offensive after the first week of the general election campaign was dominated by Tory proposals to scrap the government's planned one per cent
hike in national insurance contributions.
Planned 0.5 per cent increase
in National Insurance contributions doubled to 1 per cent, meaning from 2011/12 employees will pay 12 per cent and employers 13.8 per cent - starting point for NI to be raised so those earning # 20,000 will pay no more than at present.
David Blanchflower, Dartmouth College The day started with a press conference where Slasher Osborne, as I call him, backed down somewhat from his mantra of cutting to suggest that he would reverse the rise for poorer paid
workers in National Insurance Contributions planned by Labour in 2011.
Key costs increases include the average public - sector pay settlement of one per cent per year; a rise
in National Insurance contributions from April 2016 and an increase in employer pension contributions.
According to the government's Press Release, the only proposal in the Good Work report which has been categorically rejected is the proposal to reduce the
difference in National Insurance contributions between self - employed workers and employees.
They were facing a «triple hit», according to the FSB: a continuing increase in the national living wage; a rise
in national insurance contributions; and a hike in pensions auto - enrolment.
A rise
in National Insurance contributions may not be popular but it is necessary — unless a hefty Vat rise is to be put in its place or even bigger swingeing cuts of public services.»
Osborne was put on the defensive early on when the other two participants ganged up on him over his pledge to cancel part of the government's planned rise
in national insurance contributions.
Asked whether he would consider raising Vat, the Chancellor said he had looked at it last year but decided an increase
in National Insurance contributions would be «fairer».
The BCC also wants an immediate two - year pay freeze on public sector pay and a complete abolition of the April 2011 rise
in national insurance contributions.
In a speech to the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday, Lamb will call for the future of the NHS, social and mental health care, to be addressed by a non-partisan commission, and says he is open to radical ideas on future funding, including a possible NHS tax, or a rise
in national insurance contributions to fund extra spending.
Vince Cable having called the Tory plans not to implement Labour's National Insurance increase «school boy economics» and «voodoo economics», the LD manifesto says this: «the increase
in National Insurance Contributions is a damaging tax on jobs and an unfair tax on employees, so when resources allow we would seek to reverse it.»
The debate came as leaders from all three parties set out their stall to the Institute of Directors, with Labour and Liberal Democrats criticising the way in which the IoD had pushed for a reversal of the planned rise
in national insurance contributions.
But the shadow chancellor, George Osborne, hailed the unprecedented intervention by 100 leading business figures against an increase
in national insurance contributions.
Philip Hammond has been accused of breaking a key Tory manifesto pledge after announcing a rise
in National Insurance contributions for the self - employed.
A married father of two on a salary of # 55,000 whose wife does not work: Taking into account income tax allowances and the increase
in national insurance contributions this man would be # 593 worse off.
Last year's rise
in National Insurance contributions was certainly important.
One was that the majority of people thought that they'd be worse off as a result of the PBR, and the second issue was over the increase
in national insurance contributions, where again a majority of people didn't like what the chancellor announced earlier this week.
Mr Darling insists the increase
in national insurance contributions will not mean anybody earning less than # 40,000 per year will pay any more.
Instead, they pledge to try to stop Labour's proposed rise
in national insurance contributions, which would hit people much lower down the income scale.
A nightmare scenario would be for the Tories, out of the blue, so to speak, to offer additional funding by an increase
in National Insurance contributions.
Yesterday in a spectacular Sun campaign victory, Mr Hammond did a U-turn and binned a # 240 rise
in National Insurance contributions for two million self - employed workers.
As far as National Insurance contributions we concerned, the locks were legislated for
in the National Insurance contributions (Rate Ceilings) Act 2015.
He could get in first to propose an increase
in National Insurance contributions, allocated to new funds to the NHS, and gain that voter approval that might otherwise go to the Tories.
Self - employed people face a rise
in national insurance contributions, from 9 % to 10 % in April 2018, and to 11 % in April 2019 — in breach of a 2015 Conservative Party manifesto promise not to raise the tax.