The Chancellor can afford to put next month's national insurance hike on hold for 12 months, a former Treasury official said yesterday.
Sir Charlie Bean, who left the Office for Budget Responsibility at the end of last year, said the 1.25 percentage point rise is 'political' and that there would be 'no problem' postponing it for a year.
The increase, which will leave the average worker paying an extra £255 in taxes from April, comes amid a string of price surges including a jump in the energy price cap, taking average bills to £3,000 this year.
