SELF-EMPLOYED SHOULD STOP WHINING.

There's been a huge furore about Chancellor Hammond's proposal to increase National Insurance contributions for the self-employed from 9% to 10% and then 11% by April 2019. As well as being accused of breaking a manifesto promise, Hammond is being painted as an oppressor of these supposedly wonderful and hard done by people.

While the question of manifesto promises may or may not be an issue, the matter of the self-employed being 'put upon' deserves more consideration than has been the case so far, at least by the media. In truth, the self-employed receive huge tax advantages not available to the employed and also now receive most of the same benefits. How are they 'hard done by' ?

It is said that the self-employed receive no holiday pay or sick pay, something which is blatant nonsense. What they do is to build an additional amount into their basic charges to allow for the fact that they expect to have holidays and, perhaps, some days of sickness. They are also permitted to set a variety of expenses and costs against their income tax bill; items such as clothing, cars, travel costs, office equipment and materials and even the costs associated with rooms in their homes can be offset against tax, something which the employed can do none of.

While the employed make a contribution of up to 12% of salary in respect of National Insurance and their employers usually make a further contribution of 13.8%, the self-employed have historically paid far less, most recently just 9% plus £2.80 per week; part of the Chancellor's package includes the fact that the small  weekly payment is being discontinued. There are certain benefits to which the self-employed do not have access but does that really justify paying less than half of the National Insurance paid by the employed and their employers PLUS having a vast array of tax-deductible allowances ?

Of course it doesn't. The self-employed choose their status, pay less National Insurance and receive considerable tax advantages. They can choose when to work and when not to work, unlike the employed. Basically they have it easy, far too easy in many ways and they should stop whining about a minor increase in the contributions which they make and which still leave them far better off than most of the employed.