Conservative tax hike to hit almost 38,000 self-employed workers in Sheffield

Posted by Alex Eagle | Updated 2017-03-09

The Liberal Democrats have attacked the Conservative government’s plans to raise taxes on the self-employed, as figures reveal Sheffield Hallam will be among the hardest hit areas in the country.

The Chancellor broke a Conservative manifesto pledge by proposing to increase National Insurance contributions for the self-employed by 1%, hitting them with an average cost of £240 a year.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show there are over 9,300 self-employed workers in Sheffield Hallam, or approximately one in seven people.

Over all 6 Sheffield constituencies, around 10% of workers are self-employed, around 37,800 people.

The government has also announced cuts to corporation tax are still set to go ahead at a cost of over £2.5bn a year.

Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam said:

“This will come as a major shock to the thousands of self-employed people in Sheffield already facing a rise in the cost of living thanks to a Brexit squeeze of a falling pound and higher prices.

“It adds insult to injury that whilst hard working entrepreneurs are facing tax-hikes, the Government is giving tax cuts to the wealthy.

“This idea should have never seen the light of day and I hope that Conservative MPs will reject it.“

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