Lord Sikka
Main Page: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Sikka's debates with the HM Treasury
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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Lord Livermore (Lab)
I applaud the noble Lord’s attempt at his question. I am not going to comment on individual tax measures right now.
Lord Sikka (Lab)
My Lords, whether someone trades through a company or a partnership is a personal choice. That choice should not be incentivised by the national insurance system. It is wrong to hand incentives to rich accountants and lawyers to dodge employers’ national insurance just because they trade as partnerships. That differential treatment encourages abuse and avoidance strategies. Does the Minister agree, and if not, can he give reasons?
Lord Livermore (Lab)
My reason is very simple: I am not going to speculate on the next Budget now. I am, of course, grateful for my noble friend’s expertise in these matters.