Home care company owner in West Lothian appeals to UK Government to reconsider national insurance hike
A home care company with offices in Livingston is doubling down its campaign for the government to reconsider the hike in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for social care providers.
Home Instead UK has 20 offices across Scotland and since the Labour government announced a rise in employer NICs in last October's budget, the care company has joined thousands calling for the social care sector to be exempt.
They have warned that the rise and the new threshold at which NICs is paid will reduce the availability of quality care and increase the burden on hospitals which are already overstretched.
In February the House of Lords voted to amend the National Insurance Contributions Bill whereby businesses including GPs, hospices and care providers would be exempt from the hike in contributions. But this was dismissed by MPs in a House of Commons vote on March 19.
Graham Stevenson, owner of Home Instead West Lothian in Livingston, said: 'The government has failed to listen to the thousands who marched at 'Providers Unite' which warned the government of the dangers of maintaining the tax hike.
'The National Insurance hike and lowering of the threshold it is paid at will impact on the social care system. We need to be recruiting and training quality carers, and the tax hike will only make it more difficult.
'The social care sector keeps people living well in communities, preventing illness and allowing people to transfer home from hospital as soon as they are well enough to do so. The government must recognise this.
'Along with the rest of the sector, I will continue the fight to appeal the decision.'
Home Instead is continuing to lobby for the changes along with many organisations it works alongside, including the Homecare Association.
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