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National Insurance Contributions Bill

I am not alone in finding that a rather disappointing response—an untypically disappointing response. Part 2 of the Bill introduces something that the Labour Government never introduced in their 13 years in power, yet the minute we introduce it, they say: ““Well, it doesn't really go far enough””. We have heard 25 minutes of ““We want a better Bill, but we never backed it””. Labour has still not proposed to make this provision part of its own policy, yet it wants it extended to other parts of the country. Unlike the Labour party I welcome part 2 of the Bill, comprising clauses 4 to 11, just as I welcome any reduction in the burden of taxation on small businesses, even if it is described—rather unfortunately, I think—as a ““holiday””. Only in the weird and wonderful world of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs could the process of allowing a business to keep more of its own income and turnover be described as some sort of holiday. I rather regret that this phrase has now crept into the legislation. Small businesses pay too much tax, so anything we can do to reduce that burden has to be helpful. Why? Because the bulk of private sector job creation has come, and will continue to come, from small companies. Sadly, it is large companies that continue to reduce their costs, to strip out unnecessary manpower and to outsource various functions, while it is small businesses that have been, and will be, the engine of job creation.