Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the tax system to reflect the difference in employer national insurance contributions for those who are employed compared to those who are self-employed; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on levels of (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the construction industry.

The Government recognises the key role that entrepreneurs play in the UK economy and will help them succeed by making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow their businesses.

The National Insurance contributions (NICs) system was designed so that both employees and employers pay NICs, so that the burden for paying contributory benefits as well as contributing to the funding of the NHS, was spread as widely and fairly as possible. As self-employed people do not have a permanent employer, it is right that they only pay self-employed NICs.

To support small businesses to grow fulfil their potential and support them with the costs of employment, the Government increased the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000 in April 2022 which means that businesses and charities with an employer NICs bills of £100,000 or less in the previous tax year are able to claim up to £5,000 off their employer NICs bills. In 2021-22, the construction industry was the second larger beneficiary by sector of the Employment Allowance, with 145,000 employers benefitting from the allowance.

The Government is also providing businesses with the support they need to invest and innovate, through measures like permanently setting the Annual Investment Allowance at its highest ever level of £1 million; introducing a £13.6 billion package of business rates support; and full expensing which allows business to write off the cost of investment in one go.

The Government keeps all taxes under review.