The government is helping private firms to protect jobs by paying up to 80% of staff wages through this crisis. If it can do this why can it not help key workers who will be putting themselves/their families at risk and working extra hard under extremely challenging and unprecedented circumstances.
1. Give all key workers a 100% tax and Nat. Ins. holiday through COVID-19 crisis
20/03/2020 - Petitions
Found: government is helping private firms to protect jobs by paying up to 80% of staff wages through this crisis
2. Economic impact of coronavirus
15/04/2020 - Inquiry: Economic impact of coronavirus - Treasury Committee
- View source
Found: months
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would
have several advantages: (a)
protect
these vulnerable populations,
(ii)
reduce defaults
3. Low Pay Commission 2020 summary of findings
25/11/2020 - Low Pay Commission
- View source
Found: April 2016, as the statutory
minimum wage for workers aged 25 and over. For the first
time, the NLW
4. Selection of emails from the public on businesses during Covid-19
31/03/2020 - Inquiry: Selection of emails from the public on businesses during Covid-19 - Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
- View source
Found: especially the larger ones, and the government help with wages was a relief. Our major problem
now is our landlord
5. The COVID-19 pandemic and international trade
07/05/2020 - Inquiry: The COVID-19 pandemic and international trade - International Trade Committee
- View source
Found: Fairtrade system which supports 1.71 million Fairtrade workers in 73 countries around the world. Our vision is
1. Finance Bill
27/04/2020 - Commons Chamber
1: parliamentarians across this House, have done to prevent covid-19 from becoming a threat to our democracy itself - Speech Link
2. Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation
08/03/2021 - Commons Chamber
1: British people and British businesses through the crisis, and we did. A year on, thanks to one of the most - Speech Link
3. Covid-19: Economy
04/06/2020 - Lords Chamber
1: consider (1) the economic lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the measures necessary to repair - Speech Link
2: the second major economic crisis in 12 years. The global financial crisis of 2008-9 saw UK income fall - Speech Link
4. Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation
03/03/2021 - Commons Chamber
1: with the mess we find today: the worst economic crisis of any major economy in the last 12 months; unemployment - Speech Link
5. The Economy
27/04/2020 - Commons Chamber
1: have been made to universal credit, over 4 million jobs have now been furloughed, and survey evidence suggests - Speech Link
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The majority of key workers are struggling financially after a decade of austerity and this small gesture will demonstrate how the government and the country as a whole values what they do for us all. The extra money will also go some way to easing the exceptional strain that is being and will continue to be placed on these key workers and their families.
Monday 27th April 2020
The Government has announced an unprecedented package of measures to support public services and workers through Coronavirus, targeting support where it’s needed most.
The Coronavirus is the biggest threat the UK has faced in decades. Key workers have already demonstrated remarkable commitment to keeping the public safe in the continuing fight against the virus. The Government hugely values and appreciates these vital contributions to the COVID-19 response, both in the private and public sector.
Key workers deserve to be properly rewarded for the work they do. The Government has agreed specific pay and pension packages for a number of public sector workforces, including in the NHS, both to increase system capacity and recognise their work. More than one million NHS workers continue to benefit from the three-year Agenda for Change pay deal. The reforms will see the starting salary for a newly qualified nurse rise to £24,907 in 2020/21, 12.6% higher than 2017/18.
In addition, the Government is supporting those at work through the package of measures it has announced to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes significant changes to the operation of statutory sick pay, universal credit, and employment and support allowance, so that people have quicker and more generous access to a support system. To support self-employed individuals affected by the coronavirus outbreak, the Government has also announced a new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, alongside the deferral of income tax and VAT payments.
The Government is targeting support where it is most needed. A blanket tax holiday would be untargeted. Those paying higher rates of tax would receive the greatest benefit, while low-earning individuals with income below the personal allowance or the NICs primary threshold would not benefit. Furthermore, HMRC’s systems have not been designed to distinguish between key workers and non-key workers, and so the extension of this tax treatment to key workers would be vulnerable to exploitation and fraud by people who were not key workers and so not entitled to it.
The UK’s economic response to COVID-19 is one of the most generous and comprehensive in the world, and the Government is now working urgently to deliver these schemes as quickly as possible.
The Government is also closely monitoring the impact of measures, having regard to the need to support public services, businesses, and individuals, and will continue to keep all policies under review.
HM Treasury