To be worried about the Nat Insurance Increase?

[Folicky]

I work in the NHS, recently had a pay increase (not in line with inflation) and now this will come and take it away and more. I needed that increase, it gave me a bit more room rather than having money pressures. Feel very harsh despite me knowing what it is for (Covid) but then all those PPE contracts to mates. Feeling a bit shafted

I share similar concerns. Although I'm self employed, got no help during the pandemic, so still trying to claw myself out of that financial black hole all whilst everything is increasing around me.
Oh, and I'm a mature student, so I have the the loan changes to look forward to once I graduate.

The £89k is also a con - it only covers the care component of the care home fees and at local authority rates (£350 per week of the £1000 per week fees) will take a long time to reach that level

She has osteoporosis. But manages ok in their three bed semi. Is only applying they say because it's 'free money' and certainly won't actually be spending it, employing a cleaner, gardener, carer etc.
In fact now I think of it, my GM did the same and gave the money to my uncle?!

I'm concerned too. Dh didn't get a payrise last year. He was pleased with a payrise of 2.5% recently until I pointed out it was about to get swallowed up.
My income is down this year, it is ironically being affected by covid more than it was previously and with no help available.
It looks like we need some major repairs doing and I'm looking at our budget wondering how on earth we will fund them.

Work for a small independent struggling company.

Not had a pay rise for over three years now.

My bills are going up and up and it's getting tighter and tighter.

Literally dreading the national insurance hike on top of everything else going up

Yanbu OP, we are all screwed will the public do anything about it at the next general election? Or will they fall for the undoubted trick the Government will play just before that when they hand out a carrot? I wish I could emigrate.

Don't get why the poorest workers have to pay more BUT the wealthy can use ISA's to avoid paying any sort of tax on investment income (Google ISA wrapper)

So the claim that the Tories always look after their own appears, in this case, to be true.

@Alexandra2001

Don't get why the poorest workers have to pay more BUT the wealthy can use ISA's to avoid paying any sort of tax on investment income (Google ISA wrapper)

So the claim that the Tories always look after their own appears, in this case, to be true.

Of course it's true. It's always been true. And as long as people vote Tory it will always be true.

Already we've been told the we have to work harder to make up for the extra tax (that was explicitly ruled out in the manifesto. But people are happy about that).

They keep talking as if it's a small increase but it's a significant one. Plus it's regressive

It's not a small
Increase out of two earners wages in the same household

The council tax,rent,electric and gas oh and food costs might be classed as a small increase but put it all together and it's the difference between how often the oven goes on to cook and how long the heating is on for.

I've already had to take a second on the side job to keep the scales even so god knows how il juggle it all now.

So many of us in the same situation no wonder mental health is getting worse on top of two years of covid.

my main concern is this is just the way it is now. VAT never went back down.

The country is broken with not enough money for the NHS & social care & we have the ageing population issue. We will be paying more & getting less.

And my family is losing our NHS dentist in April. Feel like I am being kicked when down. I work frontline MH care and my small pay rise is already gone. I have been trying to save on heating already.

@coodawoodashooda

Is there a better way of coping with this than just making cutbacks?

The government could try to recoup the billions spent on unusable PPE?

www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/30/ppe-bought-for-nhs-waste-minister

We either don't get an annual rise or we get like 1%. And no bonuses or anything like that

I'd say that's representative of most, wages have stagnated for more than a decade

It's awful. Why are they taking money away from full time workers when benefits are going up by 3-4%? Where's the incentive to work more hours when you basically get told you are privileged and have money taken away. I'm not surprised so many are leaving the workforce!

We will be £3500-4000 worse off a year. after April.

Also don't forgot the tax thresholds have been frozen so more people will be paying more by default.

The £89k cap on the amount of capital that homeowners moving into residential care will have to pay is absurdly low for those who live in parts of the country where housing is expensive. It should be calculated as a percentage, not a flat rate.

completely agree & I'm surprised this hasn't caused more uproar.

Yes I feel you. Also NHS nurse and the pay rise pushed me into the next pension bracket I now pay 12.5% on a salary of 35k so over £400 a month in pension. With energy rises and NI rises and x2 dc off to Uni over the next year its fucking crippling.

It's awful. Why are they taking money away from full time workers when benefits are going up by 3-4%? Where's the incentive to work more hours when you basically get told you are privileged and have money taken away. I'm not surprised so many are leaving the workforce!

personally i think it's a red herring to blame those on benefits. The money is not flowing to them.

@dorkfink

The £89k cap on the amount of capital that homeowners moving into residential care will have to pay is absurdly low for those who live in parts of the country where housing is expensive. It should be calculated as a percentage, not a flat rate.

completely agree & I'm surprised this hasn't caused more uproar.

I'm not, who controls the media?

@Batinhernightdress true but there has been quite a few articles on how the NI increase is unfair, wrong etc. I've not seen many on the inequality of the care costs or how you need to pay extra.

The government could try to recoup the billions spent on unusable PPE?

Or the billions fraudulently claimed under the business recovery scheme. Except that also went to their mates.

The only answer here, is not to have a Tory government. As long as you do, all else is moot. And the only way that is going to happen is when your fellow human beings decide in enough numbers that being poor is not some moral deficiency but a combination of complex factors that can be addressed when you have the will.

@dorfink that's because it's a tax rise that also affects them. The care cap helps them.

@dorkfink

my main concern is this is just the way it is now. VAT never went back down.

The country is broken with not enough money for the NHS & social care & we have the ageing population issue. We will be paying more & getting less.

Don't fall for the "not enough money" lies - we have plenty - we just need to stop giving more and more of it to rich people all the time by voting Tory.