The Budget
Out of context: Reply #28
- Started
- Last post
- 33 Responses
- Fax_Benson0
Yep, the self-employed just got another shafting - NI going up to close the gap with employed contributions.
You'd think the self-employed would be protected above all by the Conservatives. Entrepreneurial go-getters. Can-do grafters. Non-unionised strivers.
In reality the government doesn't give a fuck. We're the ultimate tool in massaging figures / hiding reality. Huge numbers of the growing self-employed workforce are becoming so through lack of any alternative. People have no choice but to start out on their own - and the government claims it's promoting new businesses. Get laid off, can't find work, have no choice but to freelance and go straight onto the government's figures for new businesses created.
Some companies lay people off and then re-hire them as self-employed in order to avoid liability for things like sick-pay, holiday pay, pension contributions, training, equipment. The lower national insurance rates for self-employed are supposed to mitigate that to a certain extent. It doesn't (didn't) come close. Add in the fact that employers can drive down costs by having contractors under-cut each other for work that once was done by full-timers, pass liability and insurance risk off the books and demand that contractors have their own tools / equipment / software.
Conveniently for the government, self employed income isn't included in overall earnings measures. That's because the gap between employed and self-employed earnings is between 20-30% in favour of employed, and widening. If self-employed income were included, it would destroy the government's claims that wages are increasing.
- we're an easy target for cash grab, that's why.hans_glib
- there are companies who base their business model on screwing the self-employed like this. No mention of increasing their tax liability.Fax_Benson