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Boris Johnson announces 1.25% national insurance increase
The tax levy will raise approximately £12billion and will be used to fund Covid recovery for the NHS in the first few years and later to make much-needed reforms to the social care system. In his most important policy announcement of the year, Mr Johnson said: “We will do all this in a way that is right and reasonable and fair.”
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Mr Johnson pledged that the funding would be spent on “capping the Covid backlogs by increasing hospital capacity to 110 percent and enabling nine million more appointments, scans and operations”.
He added: “The NHS will aim to be treating around 30 percent more patients by 2024-2025 than before Covid, and we will also fix the long-term problems of health and social care that the party opposite certainly failed to tackle.”
Tory MPs have expressed worry that the move to raise National Insurance will cost them at the ballot box, and those fears have been confirmed by a poll of 12,985 Britons held by the Express from 11am September 3 to 9am September 4.
A huge 67 percent of voters said that Boris Johnson will not win a second election now he has broken the Conservative manifesto pledge and raised National Insurance.
Only 25 percent of voters in an Express.co.uk poll believe he will go on to win a second election, whilst eight percent were not sure whether he would be victorious or not.
One reader commented: “Not listening to immigration concerns, undoing the triple lock on pensions and now increasing National Insurance, even for pensioners who do not pay it once they have reached pensionable age; means the Tories are riding for a fall.”
Another reader agreed: “If he goes ahead with tax hikes, he can kiss goodbye to my support.
“The Tories need to kick him out pronto.”
Boris is determined to “fix” social care (Image: PA)
A voter said: “Politically he is finished. I voted for him but would never vote for him again.”
Someone else agreed: “Hell will freeze over before I vote for Johnson.
“Why would anyone want to put up with more lies, more wanton waste and more incompetence on such a scale as has happened.”
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Many politicians and journalists have argued that there is no question as to whether funds need to be raised to “fix” the NHS and social care, but a huge debate has erupted over whether National Insurance was the right tax to raise.
When asked whether they would support a rise in corporation tax over a rise in National Insurance, 68 percent of voters said they would, whilst just 19 percent of voters said they would not.
Tax Justice UK found support for higher corporation tax amongst Conservative voters, leaped from 61 percent in March to 74 percent in June 2020, and 75 percent of Conservatives supported a mansion tax on homes worth over £2 million.
One Express reader said: “They’re taxing the people with least to give.
“I don’t know who is advising the current leadership, but they’re doing the exact opposite of what is needed and was expected.”
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks to carehome resident on the morning of the tax rise announcement (Image: Getty)
Shadow Secretary of State Lisa Nandy has said the Labour Party supports the “broad principle” of increasing taxes to pay for NHS and social care recovery, but that Mr Johnson should not place the burden on families who are already under financial strain, by raising National Insurance.
Ms Nandy added: “His plan is that he’s going to break his 2019 promise to not raise national insurance contributions and load the entirety of the cost of social care on to supermarket workers, delivery drivers who are already suffering with high childcare costs, high housing costs and who kept us going through the pandemic.
“I think that’s a really difficult ask of a group of people who haven’t done well under this Conservative government over the last 11 years.”
A major concern amongst Britons who feel failed by the Conservatives, is that many do not feel other parties are strong enough to vote for.
One reader said: “There is no credible option which is the main problem.
“Reform party need to seize their chance.
“As crazy as it might sound, I’m tempted to say I’d suffer for years of Labour just to show the Tories that their lies will not be stood for.”
Another said: “The whole system of government in this country is crying out for, not only reform, but the way that prospective MP’s are selected, as the current lot would not be able to hold a job down in McDonald’s, as they don’t know what work is.”
Do you agree? Let us know in the comment section below.
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