Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to maintain the current 5 pence per litre fuel duty cut and freeze on Vehicle Excise Duty to support businesses operating in and around the Port of Felixstowe.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to previous levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government increasing fuel duty rates in line with RPI from April 2027. This will save the average van driver £100 next year compared to previous plans, and the average HGV driver more than £800
The Government also announced that VED rates for cars, vans and motorcycles will be uprated by RPI in 2026-27 as in previous years.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of households in Fylde who will be brought into paying income tax or higher tax bands as a result of extending the freeze on income tax personal allowance.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in Table 3.19 in the OBR’s November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below:
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing employer National Insurance contribution thresholds on young people in full-time work.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Businesses are able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270.
The OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing employer National Insurance contribution thresholds on women in part-time work.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Businesses are able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270.
The OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing employer National Insurance contribution thresholds on women in full-time work.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Businesses are able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270.
The OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing employer National Insurance contribution thresholds on people in Sussex in full-time work.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is making fair choices on tax so it can deliver on the public’s priorities, including maintaining the Secondary Threshold until April 2031. In April 2025, the government more than doubled the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500.
The OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing employer National Insurance contribution thresholds on people in Sussex in part-time work.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is making fair choices on tax so it can deliver on the public’s priorities, including maintaining the Secondary Threshold until April 2031. In April 2025, the government more than doubled the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500.
The OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising rateable values from April 2026 on small community pubs currently exempt from Business Rates through Small Business Rates Relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
If a business only occupies one property, and the property’s rateable value (RV) is lower than £12,000 from 2026, it will be eligible for 100% Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) and will pay nothing in business rates. SBRR is also available if RV is between £12,001 and £15,000, and the rate of relief tapers from 100% to 0%.
The 2026 revaluation began under the previous government to update values since the pandemic. If the property loses some or all of its SBRR or Rural Rate Relief (RRR) as a result, then its bill increase will be capped at £800 for the year or the relevant transitional relief caps (5% or 15%), whichever is higher. That is part of this government’s support to pubs to insulate them from the effects of the revaluation.
To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down.
You can find more detail on these changes at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2025-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-factsheet/budget-2025-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-factsheet
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will estimate the number of houses in Sutton Coldfield which will incur council tax surcharges from 2028.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) will apply to owners of properties worth £2 million or above, ensuring those with the most valuable properties pay their fair share. The HVCTS will affect fewer than 1% of all properties across England.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for his policies of parcels from Northern Ireland being incorrectly flagged for EU customs checks due to UK-wide system defaults.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government introduced important new arrangements for the movement of parcels moving to and from Northern Ireland, ensuring that goods can continue to move smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
HMRC does not carry out routine customs checks on parcels moving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, save those that are conducted on a risk and intelligence led basis to tackle fraud and criminality.
HMRC has published clear guidance to support parcel operators and continues to engage with the express sector regularly to ensure businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland benefit from these arrangements.