Highlights from the Autumn statement for growth
Here are twelve ways the Autumn Statement for Growth reduces debt, cuts tax and rewards hard work:
Cutting taxes for 27 million working people from January, rewarding hard work across the country. We are cutting the main rate of National Insurance Contributions from 12 per cent to 10 per cent. For the average worker earning £35,000 a year, that means a £450 tax cut. Helping people keep more of their hard earned money (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Cutting and simplifying tax for two million of the self-employed, supporting the country’s entrepreneurs. We are abolishing an entire class of NICs and cutting the rate of the NICs top rate from nine per cent to eight per cent – a with an average total saving of around £350 for someone earning £28,000 a year (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Cutting business taxes permanently by £11 billion a year, delivering the biggest business tax cut in modern British history. We promised to make full expensing permanent when the economic allows and now we have delivered that. Making full expensing permanent enables businesses to invest for less and offset investments against their tax bills (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Reducing debt, meaning we can spend more money on public services. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that we will meet our fiscal rule to have debt falling as a share of the economy a year early, this means there is more money to spend on funding public services (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Cutting business rates, supporting small businesses. We are freezing the small business multiplier yet again, saving an average shop £1,650, and extending the Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief for a year which supports businesses most commonly found on the highstreets such as shops and pubs (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Boosting the National Living Wage to record levels, ending low pay and rewarding hard work. We are delivering the largest ever cash increase to the National Living Wage, boosting it to £11.44 an hour. That is a 9.8 per cent increase, benefiting 2.7 million workers by an average £1,800 a year (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Helping the most vulnerable with an average income boost of £800, supporting families with the cost of housing. We are supporting 1.6 million of the families most struggling with the cost of living by increasing the Local Housing Allowance. This means housing benefits are more representative of the private rental market and will deliver an average of £800 a year of support (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Boosting pensions, in line with our Triple Lock, by 8.5 per cent, ensuring dignity in older age for those who have worked their entire lives. We are honouring the Triple Lock and uprating the State Pension by 8.5 per cent, this means the basic State Pension will be £3,750 higher than in 2010 (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Freezing alcohol duty, alleviating pressure on the hospitality sector. Following the recent implementation of the alcohol reforms and uprating on 1 August 2023, we will freeze alcohol duty until August 2024. The next alcohol duty uprating decision will be delayed until Spring Budget 2024 (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Increasing all working age benefits in full by 6.7 per cent, boosting benefit payments for around 5.5 million households who receive Universal Credit. As is standard, we are uprating benefits in line with the September rate of inflation, this is an average increase of £470 a year (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Getting people into work by reforming welfare and toughening up work requirements, ensuring it always pays more to work rather than be on benefits. We are launching Work Support Programme to keep more people in work and stem the flow of sickness-related inactivity. This includes benefit sanctions for those who do not take up employment (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
Reducing inflation further, delivering long-term cost of living relief for families. The OBR state that the package as a whole means inflation is forecast to be lower next year than they said at Spring Budget (Source, HM Treasury, Autumn Statement 2023, 22 November 2023, link).
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