'On what planet is the Govt living?': Tom Swarbrick takes aim at planned NI rise
2 March 2022, 19:30 | Updated: 2 March 2022, 19:36
Tom Swarbrick has taken aim at the Government's planned National Insurance rise.
Tom said: "The price of petrol could reach 170p per litre in some places in the next few months - and that on top of rising food and energy prices, rising inflation, rising interest rates and rising taxes means that you're doing what?
"If you're lucky enough to be able to largely absorb all of this then you are very much in the minority.
"Are you cutting out the car? Are you turning off the heating? Are you shopping differently? Are you looking for a new job, hopefully one that perhaps pays a bit better?
"I wonder if you are looking perhaps to leave the UK, that life here is just becoming too expensive.
"And what makes me rage about this is that some of it is self-inflicted.
"I am absolutely not against the principle or indeed to an extent the reality of paying more tax to help fund social care or to help clear the NHS backlog. I do want to know that my money is going to be effective in doing that, and I'm not entirely sure that the Government's plan is quite there.
"And this is another reason why I'm not invited to parties, being such a boring individual - but I actually find myself waking up in the middle of the night raging about this.
"On what planet is the Government living that they think it is reasonable to bring this National Insurance rise in next month?
"Apparently [it's] to fulfil some Rishi Sunak fever dream of being able to say that he cut taxes later on in the run-up to an election that he hopes to contest as Prime Minister.
"I think it is absolutely mad. And I really think that we are about to go through a period of financial turmoil that might come pretty close to what happened in 2008, and I know I'm not the only person to be worrying about it."
