The self-employed are struggling at the moment as the government has yet to announce any support packages for them. This has resulted in confusion and frustration for many people in the UK who feel they have no choice but to work.
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Martin Lewis on state support for the self-employed
The government has detailed that some plans are in motion and Martin Lewis has recently revealed that an announcement will come this week.
One of the key things that the government is expected to do is to match the support seen for employees.
This could mean that up to 80 percent of income for self-employed people could be covered by the state.
In recent days, one bill in particular has been highlighted as a target for change.
Catherine Kerr, the Head of Employment Law for Primas, provided insight on this:
“Recent announcements and developments on gig workers could be set to dramatically change the landscape for workers and self-employed individuals in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
“The House of Commons Public Bill Committee has proposed an amendment to the Coronavirus Bill called “Statutory Self-Employment Pay.
“If the amendment is approved, and it very likely will be, it will provide freelancers and self-employed people guaranteed earnings of the lower of (a) 80 percent of their monthly net earnings averaged over the last three years; or (b) £2,917 per month.
“This will make the world of difference for not only the self-employed but also their families.”
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Changes to the economic landscape have been announced via daily conferences.
Rishi Sunak has thus far introduced the biggest support packages in British peacetime history.
Over £330billion has been made available for businesses across the UK.
On top of this, the amounts that Universal Credit claimants can receive were also increased.
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As he confirmed last week: “We are starting a great national effort to protect jobs. But the truth is we are already seeing job losses. And there may be more to come.
“I cannot promise you that no one will face hardship in the weeks ahead.
“So we will also act to protect you if the worst happens
“To strengthen the safety net, I’m increasing today the Universal Credit standard allowance, for the next 12 months, by £1,000 a year.
“For the next twelve months, I’m increasing the Working Tax Credit basic element by the same amount as well.
“Together these measures will benefit over 4 million of our most vulnerable households.”
Self-employed people did receive some support in this area as the minimum income floor was abolished, a feature which primarily affected those working for themselves.
Despite this, many are calling on the government to take further action as the systems put in place do not seem to be working. Over the last few days, public transport has been reportedly filled with workers who feel that they have no choice but to work in order to protect their income.
This will likely result in higher risks of the virus spreading, something that goes against the government’s primary aims.
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