The budget

How many threads have you started, Rigby, other than the one about how awful GN was that you were leaving...? I'll find it it you want - it caused quite a stir at the time.

My NIC contributions will increase from £2.80pw to over £14pw, so not happy.

People earning between £5,965 and £8.060pa only have to pay Class 2 contributions, which are being abolished. My only option now is to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions, if I don't want my pension reduced any more than it already has been.

The effect is cumulative. I have to do self-employed work to compensate for the delay in paying state pension. Not only that but benefit entitlement for over 60s has changed Before the budget), so I'm trapped.

Not happy at all.

Yes, there is something in the budget for WASPIs dj - an increase in NICs for those of us working instead of receiving state pension.

Grannypiper, big difference between a sub contractor of over thirty years and a sub contractor of just a couple of years, a subbie of over thirty years should have made his name in his trade, a new subbie is still working for this and the building trade is so different to over thirty years ago

The O/P was not about the budget it was a critcism of the chancellors speech not relating to the budget. Should I have said Hsmmond bashing not criticising

Sigh.

Oh well! I'll shut up.

I've only been using Twitter for a week and my Tweet to various journalists and politicians pointing out that it's not only the better paid self-employed who will be worse off (which is what HMRC is claiming) has been retweeted over 200 times in a couple of hours. A increase of approx £550pa national insurance is a big jump with an income of £6/700pa. and no entitlement to benefits.

Sorry, daphne, I meant nothing good for Waspis.
We need a new government. I hope something comes of the lies told about Surrey, or the Tory expenses scandal.

We need a new government but we are not going to get a new government for at least seven years

I am very disappointed with the budget. Once again (and as usual) nothing at all to help small businesses. I was hoping for small employer NIC employment tax reductions (which cripple us) . And genuine help for those of us who invest in apprentices over that magical age of 18. I can honestly say we will sadly NEVER take another apprentice ! Thank you for nothing Mr Hammond.

I know you meant nothing good, but this will affect many WASPIs. Women between 55 and 65 find it more difficult than any other group to find permanent full-time work. Many are single and haven't built up a decent pension entitlement (even I won't get the full state pension, despite 48 years' contributions). There are many women who have set themselves up as self-employed just to survive. I've asked HMRC for their impact assessment data. I wonder if they'll reply .

PS. WASPIs often don't earn enough to benefit from raising the tax threshold, abolition of tampon tax or increased maternity rights for the self-employed (well,not usually!)

We absolutely do need a new a new government anniebach but despite being a loyal Labour voter for Many years I could not bring myself to vote for that man who is on the payroll (basically the puppet) of the big unions and the public sector . What about small manufacturing businesses? Where do we fit in? No wonder so many manufacturers move their businesses abroad.

The schools budget is not going to help this grammar school, either.

www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/08/grammar-school-deficit-st-michaels-barnet

Just read that Osborne is going to be paid £650,000 for one day a week. Maybe you and other WASPIs should tweet him, daphne.

Don't even get me started on the "free school" budget announcements. My poor GC can't get into a school within 4 miles of where they live !! The government should be taking measures to increase the capacity by providing more teachers and /or more space in EXISTING schools !

Gilly, we can no longer take on apprentices , difficult because for years we have taken on so many local lads , no more though .

Yes we need a new government but we will lose so many seats at the next election I don't know how labour can climb back , if ever.

My DH, self employed as a joiner, had never claimed sickness benefit, just carried on working through illnesses,until he knelt on a nail. The rusty nail went behind his knee cap, but typically he pulled it out with pliers and finished the job. The next day his knee had swollen, would not bend, he could neither walk nor drive. Off to the Doctor's, got antibiotics, etc. but sadly it was nearly a month until he could work/earn again. He claimed sickness benefit for the first (and last) time ever but was refused as he was deemed to be still working - sending out invoices for work done previously, completing his VAT return, contacting his customers to cancel jobs etc. Meanwhile, his workshop rent and rates, telephone, etc had to be paid, HP, tax & MOT for his van AND his NI and Tax was still due.

We know many in the building trade whose businesses collapsed following an illness or accident, with the loss of their life's work/savings. We were lucky that we only lost a month's income which meant no summer holiday for us that year. We understood that this was one of the reasons that the self employed paid less NI than employees - the other being that they would get a reduced State pension.

kittysjones.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/a-brief-view-of-the-budget/

For the self-employed, of which I am thankfully no longer a member.

David Gauke is having a difficult job explaining it at the moment.

Of course they should, gillybob. The concentration on 'free selective schools' is sick.

The WASPIs are fighting the wrong battles. They won't win. They should concentrate on the benefits WASPIs have lost,such as bus passes, the changes to working tax credit and the unfairness of the new state pension itself.

gillybob I'm not sure how you think Corbyn is payrolled by the public sector. He really isn't.

Doesn't look as though the budget's gone down too well with the Right wing press:

Even the Mirror called it betrayal.

I totally understand what you are saying Granny23 being self employed or indeed like us, running a small business employing people is really no fun. You are expected to follow every rule and regulation , as though you were turning over millions (without the tax fiddles of course) but get no help at all. My DH is forced to go to work when he is ill too otherwise nothing would get done. I don't think many people appreciate the overhead costs (that still have to be paid regardless) of being self employed or running a small business My DH is 65 now with no sign of ever being able to retire . If he had worked for someone else he would have his feet up by now. The recent work place pensions are a minefield too. Very complicated to administer and the cost of which are going to see a lot of small businesses go to the wall as they steadily increase the percentage year on year. We already pay astronomical employers tax (NI) so why do we have to pay twice?

We do have one apprentice Anniebach who is just coming to the end of his 3rd year of 4. We took him on as a favor to his father (not a relative btw) He was over the 16-18 age where you get a small amount of government help and college fees paid etc. so we have to pay him the full LIVING wage (even though he can't be left alone to do anything and really can't earn us any money) full NI and all of his college fees too. This was not what we signed up to at all. I have no doubt that as soon as he gets his "bit of paper" he will be out the door like jack Flash. No loyalty whatsoever. Maybe if they had to give something back (work for you for so long after qualifying or else pay some of your investment back) things would be different but as it stands I would never do it again.

Personally I think the LP only see 2 kinds of workers . Those in the public sector (who they look after) and those run by the big unions (often one and the same of course). I am saddened that there are so many eps elf employed and small enterprise in the UK but we have no one to look out for us. No one to speak up for us and none of the politely parties care.

End of rant.

Unless things have changed the self employed can claim sickness benefit (ESA?) though not SSP. When I worked at DWP it was a commonly held misconception which delayed many claims from the self employed.