If you read this blog every week then you will no doubt remember how I reported on the cheeky tax grab the government tried to bring in at the budget.
The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced to the country he was going to tax the self employed whether they liked it or not. Well, millions of hard working Brits didn’t like it, and after a national outcry that no-one in the government expected, the Chancellor quickly back tracked on his plans.
At the time I mentioned how this was a victory for contractors, freelancers, small business owners, and self employed people all around the country, although I hinted it might only be a small victory, because no doubt those politicians would have another go in a few months.
It doesn’t seem that way now though, as the government recently admitted defeat on their unpopular tax grab, with Deputy PM Damien Green saying that it won’t be revisited.
Something tells me the Conservatives poor showing at the recent General Election might have a lot to do with this back track, as they make an attempt to get the millions of self employed people back on their side.
Rightly so if you ask me. Politicians seems to forget that it’s self employed contractors, freelancers and small business owners that prop up this fragile economy and keep everything running smoothly.
When it comes time to cast their vote many don’t forget how they have been treated by the government, and it’s no wonder that a lot decided to stay away during the recent General Election, or even vote for another party.
In my opinion, the Prime Minister and her cabinet really need to sit down and work out ways they can do more for our nations self employed army, rather than just looking at them as a way to make more money every time they need to get some cash.
Let’s face it, with Brexit just around the corner the self employed are now more important than ever before, so let’s hope they keep their word this time and we don’t hear any more talk about tax hikes.
Right now, as we speak, it’s estimated that 5 million people in the UK are classed as self employed, which is around 15% of the workforce.
However, with the gig economy continuing to get more popular and the freelance lifestyle something that a lot of people want to have…then it’s not surprising that many experts are expecting nearly half of the workforce to be in some form of self employment in 10 years time.
So when you consider that many of the voters in upcoming elections will be self employed, then it’s about time politicians started catering to their needs. Dropping the tax hikes is a good start.
