Asked by: Connor Rand (Labour - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further her engagement her Department will have with the campaigning group, Excluded UK.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
This government is committed to learning lessons from the Covid-19 schemes. Formal evaluations of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) have been published. HM Treasury has participated in Module 9 hearings of the Covid-19 Inquiry, which examined the economic response to the pandemic.
Asked by: Connor Rand (Labour - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of financial support for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, what evidence her Department used to classify small limited company directors as a fraud risk.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Decisions on eligibility for COVID-19 financial support schemes were taken by the previous government. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) supported self-employed individuals whose incomes were adversely affected by COVID-19. The scheme was based on HMRC's Income Tax Self-Assessment system, through which people submit their tax returns, to target support as much as possible on those who needed it most, but also to minimise the risk of error and fraud.
Asked by: Connor Rand (Labour - Altrincham and Sale West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Plastic Packaging Tax on small and medium sized businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced in April 2022 under the previous government and provides an incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in packaging, thereby supporting increased recycling and reducing plastic waste.
The tax applies to businesses that manufacture or import 10 tonnes or more of plastic packaging within a 12-month period, meaning only businesses above this threshold are within scope.
HMRC are currently undertaking an evaluation of the tax which aims to assess the tax’s effectiveness, including impacts on businesses, and is set to conclude in 2026. The government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process.