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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Jonathan Geddes

Rutherglen MSP claims Tories have 'moral duty' to scrap national insurance hike

Rutherglen's MSP has claimed the Tory government have a "moral duty" to scrap the national insurance hike.

Clare Haughey believes the forthcoming increase will hit locals hard, with the cost of living crisis already punishing Rutherglen and Cambuslang residents.

The National Insurance increase, due to rise next month, comes as reports suggest the Russian war in Ukraine is adding to the intense pressures families face, as the price of oil and wholesale gas continues to soar.

The 1.25 percentage point rise is slated to go towards funding health and social care, however numerous politicians from across party lines have called on it to be delayed.

Ms Haughey told Lanarkshire Live: "The Tory cost of living crisis is hitting families across Cambuslang and Rutherglen hard right now, but it is unfortunately set to get worse.

"Not only has the UK Government, thus far, failed to provide substantial measures to support people through the crisis, but they are also set to break their own promise not to increase the rate of National Insurance contributions.

"The regressive national insurance increase will punish the lowest paid in our society – which is staggering in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

"'The UK Government has a moral duty to urgently step in, including by scrapping the National Insurance hike, as household incomes are on course to collapse by the most since the mid-1970s."

Earlier this year the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak wrote a newspaper article in which they stressed the importance of the rise.

They wrote: "“We must go ahead with the health and care levy. It is progressive: the burden falls most on those who can most afford it.

"Every penny of that £39 billion will go on crucial objectives – including nine million more checks, scans and operations, and 50,000 more nurses, as well as boosting social care."

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