BORIS Johnson has defended the decision to hike up national insurance for millions of workers from today, arguing that the manifesto-breaking rise is “necessary, fair and responsible”.
National insurance contributions are rising by 1.25 percentage points. From April 2023 onwards, the NI rate will decrease back to the 2021-22 level, with a new 1.25% health and social care levy legally introduced.
The UK Government predicts that the tax rise will raise £39 billion over the next three years to help reduce the Covid-induced NHS backlog and later reform adult social care for the long-term.
READ MORE: Tories branded 'Islamophobic' over Trainspotting ad for 'choose Humza' mention
Boris Johnson said: “We must be there for our NHS in the same way that it is there for us. Covid led to the longest waiting lists we’ve ever seen, so we will deliver millions more scans, checks and operations in the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.
“We know this won’t be a quick fix, and we know that we can’t fix waiting lists without fixing social care. Our reforms will end the cruel lottery of spiralling and unpredictable care costs once and for all and bring the NHS and social care closer together. The levy is the necessary, fair and responsible next step, providing our health and care system with the long term funding it needs as we recover from the pandemic.”
The Conservative Party 2019 election manifesto, which helped Johnson deliver a landslide majority, pledged “not to raise the rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT”.
But senior ministers have argued that the impact of the coronavirus crisis meant that tax promise to the electorate could no longer be kept.
The Tory administration has since increased the tax burden to its highest point in 70 years.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the pandemic had placed “unprecedented pressure on the NHS” and pushed up waiting times.
“This investment will go into tackling those backlogs and will help make sure everyone can get the care and treatment they need,” he said.
“This vital funding will ensure the NHS is equipped to not only reduce waiting times but also tackle the big challenges we face, from cancer to heart-disease and dementia.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government would “not shy away from the difficult decisions” ministers need to take to “fix our social care system and slash NHS waiting times”.
He said the levy would also be used to cap the cost of care so “people no longer live in fear of losing everything”. The government claims the levy is progressive, with the highest 15% of earners paying more than half the revenues.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel