Articles

Taking the leap into self-employment

Taking the leap into self-employment takes a lot of courage. The first decision to make is what business structure will you move forward with? Your business structure is important and will pave the way for your businesses future. This is in terms of the financial and legal matters of the day to day maintenance and administration.

Soletrader

As a soletrader it is all about you, any profits are counted as personal income, there is no separation between your business and personal assets. As a soletrader you have few regulations to adhere to, for example you don’t need to register with Companies House. You will be required to complete a registration with HMRC for self-assessment and you will have to complete a self-assessment tax return. An advantage to operating in this way is that you can withdraw cash from the business without any tax affect. 

Partnerships

Like a soletrader you will have to complete the individual self-assessments along with the partnership accounts. As there is joint liability for any liabilities it is important to create a partnership agreement which is signed by all.

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

This option means you have the flexibility of the traditional partnership, but you are protected regarding potential liabilities. Each partners liability is limited to the total sum that they initially invested. As above you will have to complete the individual self-assessments along with the partnership accounts.

Limited Company

A limited company has separate existence to that of their directors. Personal finances are separate to those that the business has. This might be a positive factor however there are more exhaustive requirements of a limited company. For example, registering with Companies House and submitting the company accounts. There are significant penalties for failing to send the accounts on time and you also must consider National Insurance contributions as they are greater than that paid by a sole trader/partner. You are also taxed if you withdraw income from the company, if it is distributed it is taxed as a dividend.

It is best to do your research and seek advice.

Financial perks of Marriage

Marriage brings many financial perks, one of which is the potential transfer of some of your Personal Allowances. For 2018/19 the Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,190 of your Personal Allowance to your spouse/civil partner. The person transferring it must earn less than their Personal Allowance, currently £11,850, although to be truly tax efficient they should earn less than £10,660, to make sure they don’t get a tax bill. While the personal receiving it cannot be a Higher Rate Taxpayer. 

To benefit from Marriage Allowance the following must apply:

·         you’re married or in a civil partnership,

·         the transferor does not pay income tax or your income is below your Personal Allowance,

·         the transferee’s only income is taxed at the basic rate, which in 2018/19 means taxable income of no more than £46,350.

When used correctly the transfer can help save Income Tax at 20% on the amount transferred, which in 2018/19 is £238. It may not seem like a lot but if this can keep you below the cap for Payments on Account this can really help with your cash flow.

Feel free to contact us if you would like further advice and guidance on this.

Evidence is Key

Record keeping is vitally important and been prepared with your records is a good habit to get into. You will thank yourself in the future if you receive a letter from HMRC advising they are going to conduct a business record check. To make sure you are on the right track with your records think about how you record your work and your cashflow. By ensuring you think about these two factors you will be able to give the vital supporting evidence that will be required should an investigation take place. It could be two, three or four years before you have to check your records in such a situation. Clear information will be informative, and you will not need to try to remember what that transaction was, here is an example: 

You book a holiday for you and some friends and pay the deposit yourself. Your friends pay you their £200 share by bank transfer a few days later and you pay it into your personal bank account. This is an entirely non-taxable transaction. However, two years later when the Revenue are looking into your affairs if you can’t recall and or evidence what that £200 was, the Revenue are quite likely to assume that it relates to a block booking of driving lessons which has not been declared in the tax return and so tax you on it – and don’t forget there could be penalties and interest to add to the basic tax due. 

FBTC's advice is to think about your;

Diary - Keep detailed records of the lessons you undertake in a daily diary. Mark all bookings taken and just as importantly mark any that do not turn up or cancel.  At the end of the day or week total the cash received in the diary and bank that sum.  This will give a clear trail of your business activity. The FBTC online cashbook provides you with an ongoing report which is useful for viewing your current net profit. 

Bank accounts - Keep your personal and business cash flows separate by using a separate bank account for the business.  Use it religiously.  Don’t be tempted to use any of your cash earnings to buy petrol, lunch or anything else you might need during the day, this prevents the possibility of “forgetting” to record the cash income.  Pay for business costs with a bank card and keep the receipt.  Again, this will give a clear audit trail of your business expenses.  For your personal drawings make regular weekly withdrawals or transfers to your personal account and record them as such and use this cash and only this cash for your non-business expenditure.  Finally, it is best to include references on your bank transfers for your own personal bank transactions, particularly in relation to one-off deposits and expenses because you’ll not remember everything two years down the road!

It is no longer a man’s world

International Women’s Day has been recognised since the 1900’s, each year the 8^th March is about celebrating women globally. Today’s society recognises the value that women bring to individual communities and collectively to the world.

There is still a commitment to the original aim, which is, to achieve full gender equality for women. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2017, the gender gap is expected to be closed in 100 years. Yes, 100 years! But one things for sure it is no longer a man’s world.

The number of women in self-employment has grown consistently since 2001. The sky is the limit when you are your own boss and there is not a glass ceiling in sight. The flexibility that comes with self-employment allows women to balance their working life and personal commitments entirely how they wish. The element of freedom also means your mind has the flexibility it needs to make good decisions.

Could this mean self-employment is the dream for most women?

Cathi, an Approved Driving Instructor from Barnsley advised FBTC ‘I held down five Head of Department, of Foreign Languages posts. After 31 years working full time, nonstop, I needed more flexibility. 18 months ago, I contacted RED Driving School and embarked on my training. I am now qualified as an Approved Driving Instructor and very satisfied with my new life’.

Like Audrey Hepburn said, ‘Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible’. 

AWARDED FEEFO GOLD TRUSTED SERVICE AWARD 2018

FBTC Accountancy Services has won the Feefo Gold Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, as rated by real clients.

Created by Feefo, Trusted Service is awarded only to those businesses that use Feefo to collect genuine ratings and reviews. Those that meet the high standard, based on the number of reviews they have collected, and their average rating, are awarded. A badge of honour, this accreditation remains unique, as it is based purely on the interactions with verified customers. As all reviews are verified as genuine, the accreditation is a true reflection of a business’ commitment to outstanding service.

Andrew Briscoe, FBTC Accountancy Services commented: “It’s a real honour to receive this award from Feefo. To be recognised for delivering exceptional experiences to our clients is a great achievement. We’ve been working hard to ensure our clients receive the best service possible, and being able to listen, understand and respond to their needs has enabled us to improve our offering in 2017. We’re looking forward to another successful year ahead.”

Speaking on this year's award, Andrew Mabbutt, CEO at Feefo, commented 'The Trusted Service award has always been about recognising those companies that go the extra mile. Once again, we have seen many incredible businesses using Feefo to its full potential, to provide truly memorable experiences for their customers – and rightly being awarded with our most prestigious accreditation. I look forward to the continual success of the businesses that work in partnership with Feefo throughout 2018'.

Feefo is a ratings and reviews, and customer analytics platform that provides the tools to collect genuine, purchase-verified reviews on behalf of over 4,000 businesses. Feefo ensures that all feedback is authentic, by matching it to a legitimate transaction; this is in order to increase consumer confidence and combat the rising issue of fake reviews.

About Feefo

Feefo is a global reviews and customer analytics solution to boost business & build trust. Feefo collects reliable customer feedback to deliver up to date insights so businesses and consumers can make better decisions. Feefo does this on behalf of 4,000 companies, providing reviews and customer analytics for more than 5,000 websites. Clients include Expedia, AXA, Next, The White Company, Moss Bros, Notonthehighstreet.com & Tepilo. For more information please visit: www.feefo.com

Key Fraud Rules to Remember

HMRC will never contact customers who are due a tax refund by text message or by email. Figures from UK Finance show £366.4million was lost to financial fraud in the first half of 2017, with a further £101.2million lost through authorised bank transfer scams. 

To help people protect themselves the Take Five campaign (supported by HMRC) has issued three key pieces of advice:

1. A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. Only give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you have given your consent to, that you trust and that you are expecting to be contacted by.

2. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected e-mail or text.

3. If you're approached with a request for personal information, don't provide it. ​

If you have any questions about the above please contact us.

Are you completing your Self Assessment correctly?

Your main priority is likely to get your Self-Assessment submitted on time, but are you completing it correctly? FBTC have compiled an overview of tips for you to think about when preparing and filing your tax return.

A key element of your tax return is your income. Are you including it all?

You will have been required by HMRC to complete the tax return because you are self employed. However, once asked to complete a tax return, you have to include all sources of income. So don’t forget bank or building society interest, PAYE income and rental property income. And this is income received during the whole of the tax year. If this is the first year that you began self employment some people mistakenly think you only include income received after the self employment started. Consider all expenses that you are trying to claim for to ensure they are definitely allowable for tax purposes. Getting your income and expenses correct is important so as to reduce the chances of an HMRC enquiry/investigation.

It isn’t just about what you include it is about how and where you include it. From year to year you might miss classify your expenses, recording transactions under different categories. It’s best to be consistent.

Don’t rush to complete your return, there is a chance that you may transpose figures or add them up incorrectly, which will lead to the wrong calculations. This might mean you pay more tax than you need to and nobody wants to do this.

Deadlines are suddenly on top of us even though we know exactly when they are. Preparation is key to ensuring accuracy and filing on time to avoid the £100 late penalty charge. It is much better to know what your tax liability is in advance rather than filing it on the deadline and then not been able to pay your bill. If you were unable to pay your tax liabilities, you will start to receive late payment interest from 1^st February and further delays in payment could lead to surcharges based on a percentage of the outstanding balance.

HMRC state ‘tax doesn’t need to be taxing’, this is correct it doesn’t need to be and having a professional acting for you can be beneficial. This is not only to ensure you are compliant with HMRC regulations, but a good accountant will also save you money.

A broken laptop, a paper eating dog and a trip to Italy

The deadline to file your self-assessment tax return and pay any liabilities that are due is fast approaching, it is 31^st January 2018. Less than 6 weeks to go!

You may have a reasonable reason for missing the deadline, but this has to be communicated with HMRC and there is no guarantee they will accept your reasons.

HMRC have published some of the excuses that are given for late filing;

1.   My tax papers were left in the shed and the rat ate them

2.   I’m not a paperwork orientated person – I always relied on my sister to complete my returns, but we have now fallen out

3.   My accountant has been ill

4.   My dog ate my tax return

5.   I will be abroad on deadline day with no internet access so will be unable to file

6.   My laptop broke, so did my washing machine

7.   My niece had moved in – she made the house so untidy I could not find my log in details to complete my return online

8.   My husband ran over my laptop

9.   I had an argument with my wife and went to Italy for 5 years

10. I had a cold which took a long time to go

The above excuses were used in appeals to HMRC against penalties for late filing. As you might guess, the appeals were unsuccessful.

You will receive £100 penalty for submitting your tax return after the deadline date. 

If you would like to chat about FBTC completing your accounts and tax returns, contact us now on 0344 984 2515 or email fbtcenquiries@fbtc.co.uk

Allowable Business Expenses

It is important to know what expenses are allowable against your business profit. The following list includes the principle examples of expenses, that you are likely to incur whilst running your business.

Office Costs
Includes items such as postage, stationary, computer software, printing material.

Vehicle Costs
Franchise fees
Vehicle insurance
Cleaning
Repairs and servicing
Fuel
Leasing
Road Tax
Breakdown cover
Interest element on finance used to purchase the vehicle

Travel and Subsistence Costs
Parking
Train bus, air and taxi fares
Hotel rooms
Meals on business trips 

Staff Costs
Wages paid to another person for work done in your business

Financial Costs
Bank account charges that relate to your business
HP/Loan interest for the purchases of business assets
Accountancy Fees

Advertising and Marketing Costs
Material used to promote your business such as branded clothing and advertising material
Website 

Subscriptions
Trade magazines
Membership to professional bodies

Capital Expenditure

Certain items of expenditure are classed as capital expenditure. These items include cars, dual controls, computers, laptops, printers and Sat navs. For these items you are entitled to a capital allowance to set against your net profit to cover the depreciation of the asset and is in addition to the finance interest mentioned above under vehicle costs. FBTC will calculate the capital allowances for you.
Business mileage
Rather than claiming the vehicle costs and capital allowances on a new car, as mentioned above, it is instead possible to claim business mileage. FBTC can advise on the most beneficial option.

Private usage
Some expenses incurred may also hold an element of private usage. The private element of the expense will be disallowed.
FBTC will calculate this for you.

Do you know the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion?

The recent publicity regarding the “Paradise Papers” and last year the “Panama Papers” could lead one to think that it is only the rich and famous that need to be careful when it comes to keeping tax affairs in line.

However, we cannot stress enough that small businesses must also be vigilant. HMRC have been given significant extra resources to be able to check that businesses and their owners are paying the correct amount of tax. These resources will be increased further as Making Tax Digital is introduced.

Penalties for tax avoiders are primarily a percentage of the additional tax due ranging from 30% to 100%. Tax evasion can lead to a criminal prosecution and thus the possibility of a custodial sentence.

Do you know the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion?

• Tax avoidance involves bending the rules of the tax system to gain a tax advantage.  

• Tax evasion is the illegal evasion of taxes by for example deliberately not declaring a source of income.

Tax avoidance can quite often simply be a difference in interpretation between the taxpayer and HMRC of the tax rules. HMRC are becoming more aggressive in this area as they seek to bring in more taxes for the Government.

Keeping accurate records is vitally important, especially if you are chosen for a ‘Business Record Check’. This document will ask initial questions about your accounting records before HMRC decide if they will need to pay you a visit to carry out further checks. 

It is impossible to say when or if you will ever be chosen for the Business Record Check.  Therefore, it is vital that you keep your accounting records up to date and in a clear and satisfactory format.

This then takes us to the question, how often do you keep your accounting records up to date?  Once a week?  Once a month? Once a year?

FBTC recommends that you should try and set some time aside each week to update your accounting records and get into the habit of doing it every week, whilst the week is still fresh in your memory. 

You will find it much easier to recollect what has happened in the last seven days, than trying to think back over fifty-two weeks, if you are only completing your records after the tax year has ended.  

If you are unsure as to how to keep your records or are concerned about the standard of your record keeping, then please do not hesitate to contact us. FBTC does have an online cash book which you may find useful.

Ambition is the path to success, persistence is the vehicle you arrive in

The FBTC Tips to Business Success

Everyone has different ideas and views on what they class as ‘successful’, is it the amount of money you make or is it having the perfect work life balance (does this even exist?). If you know what you want to achieve you are heading in the right direction. The following factors will help you to achieve your success!

Focus – What do you want to achieve? Set yourself short term goals to ensure you stay on track. By knowing what you truly want, you can define your business and achieve your goals.

Believe – In yourself and your business. If you don’t who will?

Tax – Don’t forget about it! Ensure you plan for your taxes. (We can look after this area for you, one less factor to worry about!)

Creativity – Stand out from your competitors, think outside of the box, sometimes it is good to be different. Develop your business to put you ahead of the rest. It is also important to realise you don’t know everything, be open to new ideas and opportunities that approach you.

Adapt – You need to do this for your business to survive, adapt to change to ensure you are giving your customer what they want and need (they may not know they need it yet). Opportunities sometimes fall into your lap which aren’t the norm and you need to be able to understand how to deal with such happenings.  

Challenges – Identify and manage your challenges, develop your analytical skills. There is never a problem you just need to find the solution. This will help you move your business forward.

Cash -  Feed your bottom line, find ways to get money upfront to improve your cashflow. Make sure your capital expenditures aren’t draining your business.

Organisation – This is important in both your personal and business life. Been organised means you have control and this will increase your productivity. 

Understand – Spend time researching your industry and your target audience, you will then understand what your customers want and need. This way you can ensure your business is offering the correct products and services, in the right place and at the right time. 

Notes – Reflect on your business, write down your thoughts. Keep your notes to help you plan and prepare for the future. Self-reflection will help you to develop self-awareness and encourages active engagement in your work.

Technology – Stay ahead of the game, every day is changing. Does your business require you to use the latest software? Should you be liaising with your customer more, can you do this by using new technology? We can do everything we need to with our mobile phones, is their opportunity for you to make changes? Smartphones, social media, texting, emails and other communication channels make it easy to get your message out.

Add Value – Give your customers that little bit extra. Find low cost or no cost ways of making clients feel even better about the product or service you have provided. Such acts will increase your gestures of goodwill and also increase your word of mouth referrals. 

Net Profit – Keep an eye on your net profit, make sure you know how your business is operating. This then supports your focus, creativity and understanding. This also give you the opportunity to recognise any areas of concern, manage your finances and deal with any challenges.

Consistency – Ensure you develop positive habits that you can enforce over a long term. Therefore, giving each of your customers the same experience. 

You – Take time for you! You are the most important part of all!

Why do we have to pay money in advance of next year’s bill – payments on accounts? Why can't we just be charged the bill at the end of the year?

 If your total Income tax and NIC’s for the year is greater than £1,000, in addition to your Income tax and NIC bill, you will be asked to make ‘payments on account’ towards the next year.  They are payable in two equal instalments.  One by the end of January following the end of the tax year and one six months later by the end of July.

How are they calculated?  In simple terms, each of the two payments on account are calculated as 50% of your total Income tax and NIC due for the year just ended. 

When your tax bill is calculated for the following year, the total Income tax and NIC due is reduced by the sum of the two payments on account you have made in the year.  Consequently, if your profits are exactly the same amount in that year you will have already paid your total tax bill in advance.  If your profits are more or less than the previous year, this would result in a balancing payment or a refund. 

So why do these payments have to be made?  Does it sound unfair?  Not if you consider that unlike the employed paying Income tax and NIC under PAYE, the self-employed have nine months after the tax year ends in which to pay their Income tax and NIC bill.  HMRC’s view is that by then, you will have been earning towards that year so they want a cut of it before the tax year has ended.  It also keeps you up to date with your payments and gives you a clearer indication of where you are with your tax affairs. 

Under certain circumstances, payments on account can be reduced or completely removed.  This should only be done under guidance and advice from your tax adviser.  Unfortunately, the ‘I cannot afford to pay them’ reason to reduce/remove payments on account will not wash with HMRC!

Fair Play, Fair Pay

The Gender Pay gap was highlighted again recently following the BBC’s powerful publication of its top earners. Sir Philip Hampton, who is co-chairing a review into increasing the number of women in senior business roles, stated this week he has “never, ever had a woman ask for a pay rise” and “there isn’t a list long enough for all men who’ve asked. Lots of men have trooped into my office saying they are underpaid, but no woman has ever done that.” He also comments “I suspect they let it happen because they weren’t doing much about it.”

Would you agree with this?

This isn’t the case in the driving instruction industry. Our research has found that female instructors are earning more than males. Women are working similar hours to men but they are working smarter, charging higher lesson rates and bringing home an extra £35 per week.

The Annual Driving Instructor Review 2017 was completed by us earlier this year. Overall the review showed, year on year, weekly gross income for female driving instructors has risen by 19.5%, in an industry that is proving one of the most progressive.

Andrew Briscoe, manager of FBTC, said: "With women representing less than a quarter of all driving instructors in the UK, any increase in learner demand makes it possible for female driving instructors throughout the industry to increase their hourly rate ".

Read the full Annual Driving Instructor Review here.

MAKING TAX DIGITAL UPDATE

HMRC are introducing fundamental changes to the way the tax systems works. The original intention was for MTD to commence from 6 April 2018, they then delayed it for some until 6 April 2019. Last week the government announced that MTD will only apply to businesses from 6th April 2019 whose turnover is above the VAT threshold. For all remaining business the start date has been pushed back until at least 5 April 2020. However, it will be possible to submit business records under MTD, on a voluntary basis before then.

HMRC are running a pilot scheme to help get MTD up and running correctly. FBTC have been invited to join the pilot and we are now working with both HMRC and our software providers. We will make the move to the digital revolution easy and hassle free for you. If you would like to know more about our online cashbook, in preparation for MTD, call the office for more information 0344 984 4445.

Let’s clear the air!

Did you know you could receive a £150 penalty notice for failing to display a ‘no smoking’ decal in your work-related vehicles?

In line with the Smoke-Free (Exemptions and Vehicles) Regulations 2007, you must ensure that at least one 'no smoking' sign is displayed in a prominent position in each compartment of your vehicle. Visit Smoke Free England for more information.

According to Cancer Research UK, the number of smokers in Britain has fallen by 1.9 million since the smoking ban was enforced in England, 10 years ago.

Whether you operate your business from a vehicle or premises make sure you are meeting the regulations to prevent unnecessary costs. If you receive a penalty notice it is not an allowable business expense.

Pin a Website link to the home screen of your mobile or tablet

Look forward and see where you are heading!

Love is.....sharing your tax allowance

This was introduced in the 2015/16 tax year and allows, in certain circumstances, the transfer of 10% of unused personal allowances between spouses or civil partners.

For the 2015/16 tax year, you may be eligible to transfer £1,060 of your personal allowance between each other which represents a tax reduction of £212.00.

For the 2016/17 tax year, you may be eligible to transfer £1,100 of your personal allowance between each other which represents a tax reduction of £220.00.

For the 2017/18 tax year, you may be eligible to transfer £1,150 of your personal allowance between each other which represents a tax reduction of £230.00.  

How do I qualify?

To qualify one partner must have total income below the personal allowance which for 2016/17 was £11,000 (2017/18 £11,500) and the other must be a basic rate taxpayer. 

If you are surrendering your allowances to your partner and your gross income for 2016/17 is between £9,900 and £11,000 then the reduction in your allowances would then mean you would become a taxpayer so a claim would not be worthwhile.

If either partner is a higher rate tax payer then no claim can be made.

The allowance can only be used against Income Tax so a claim would not be applicable if your only liability for the year was Class 2 and/or Class 4 National Insurance Contributions. 

How do I apply?

A claim must be made by telephoning HMRC on 0300 200 3300 or online at www.gov.uk/marriageallowance. Your tax liability will not be reduced if an online or telephone claim has not been made.

Unfortunately, we cannot make the claim for you as HMRC will not allow agents to make the claim on their clients’ behalf.

Your tax return is not for the purposes of making a claim. Instead, upon receipt of your tax return, HMRC will make an amendment to your tax liability and advise you of the revised amounts payable.

The person who calls HMRC must be the person who is transferring the allowances (i.e. the person with income below £11,000 in 2016/17 or £11,500 in 2017/18).

When first making a claim HMRC will review earlier years, back to 2015/16, and back date the claim for any years where you have not made a claim but were eligible to do so.

For more information call FBTC, the tax experts!

Budget Update: Class 4 National Insurance Contributions

Due to substantial pressures from its own backbenchers the Government has announced that the increases from 2018 and 2019 will not now go ahead.

See below the full text of Chancellor Philip Hammond's letter to Conservative MPs explaining his decision to drop National Insurance increases announced in last week's Budget.

Dear Colleague

I am writing to clarify the Government's position with regard to the changes to National Insurance contributions (NICs) for the self-employed, announced in last week's Budget.

As I set out last Wednesday, the gap between benefits available to the self-employed and those in employment has closed significantly over the last few years - most notably by the introduction of the new State Pension in April 2016, worth an additional £1,800 to a self-employed person for each year of retirement.

It remains our judgment that the current differences in benefit entitlement no longer justify the scale of difference in the level of total NICs paid in respect of employees and the self-employed.

Colleagues will be aware that there has been a sharp increase in self-employment over the last few years. Most commentators believe that at least part of the increase is driven by differences in tax treatment.

HMRC estimates that the cost to the public finances of this trend is around £5bn this year alone and the parallel increase in incorporation will cost more than £6bn a year by the end of the Parliament. This represents a significant risk to the tax base and thus to the funding of our public services.

The measures I announced in the Budget sought to reflect more fairly the differences in entitlement in the contributions made by the self-employed and addresses the challenge of sustainability of the tax base.

The Government continues to believe that this is the right approach.

Since the Budget, however, there has been much comment on the question of commitments made in our 2015 manifesto. Ahead of Autumn Statement last year, the Prime Minister and I decided that, however difficult the fiscal challenges we face, the tax-lock and spending ring-fence commitments we have made for this Parliament should be honoured in full. I made this clear in the Autumn Statement speech.

As far as National Insurance contributions are concerned, the locks were legislated for in the National Insurance contributions (Rate Ceilings) Act 2015.

When that Bill was introduced, it was made clear that the lock would apply only to Class 1 contributions (employer and employee). The measures proposed in the Budget fall within the constraints set out by the tax-lock legislation and the spending ring-fences.

However, in light-of the debate over the last few days it is clear that compliance with the "legislative" test of the Manifesto commitment is not adequate.

It is very important both to me and to the Prime Minister that we are compliant not just with the letter, but also the spirit, of the commitments that were made.

In light of what has emerged as a clear view among colleagues and a significant section of the public, I have decided not to proceed with the Class 4 NIC measures set out in the Budget.

There will be no increases in NICs rates in this Parliament. We will continue with the abolition of Class 2 NICs from April 2018. The cost of the changes I am announcing today will be funded by measures to be announced in the Autumn Budget.

I undertook in the Budget speech to consult over the summer on options to address the principal outstanding difference in benefit entitlement between employed and self-employed: parental benefits. We now intend to widen this exercise to look at the other areas of difference in treatment, alongside the Government's consideration of the forthcoming report by Matthew Taylor, CEO of the RSA, on the implication of different ways of working for employment rights.

Once we have completed these pieces of work, the Government will set out how it intends to take forward, and fund, reforms in this area.

I plan to make a statement in the House later today.

Philip Hammond

#selfemployed #class4NIC #TAX