National Insurance Contributions Bill
10:40 am
Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster, Conservative)
I support simplification and can understand one of the ideas behind the Bill. What thought was given by the Treasury to try to make the matter revenue-neutral: in other words, by reducing the upper earnings limit to such a degree that this whole aspect was revenue-neutral? Was any consideration given to reducing the upper earnings limit, rather than to increasing the limit at which national insurance is paid, to get to that point? I can understand the idea that the Treasury would wish to simplify the entire system—that makes a certain amount of sense—but clearly, the way in which the current Treasury has decided to go about this will hit middle-income earners who are about to, or are already, paying income tax at the upper earnings limit. Why was this not made revenue-neutral in such a way that the interests of those people were protected?