Furious 'excluded' caller hits out at Chancellor Rishi Sunak after Budget
3 March 2021, 15:59
Furious caller tells LBC Rishi Sunak's Budget has done nothing for her
Branding Rishi Sunak's Budget "discrimination" this 'excluded' caller tells LBC she's been "blanked all the way" through the Covid pandemic.
Reacting to the 2021 Budget Isabel from Glasgow told LBC's Shelagh Fogarty it was a "terrible day."
The caller revealed she is one of the three-million people who have been excluded from financial support during the Covid crisis.
She said she had been waiting for the Budget but has been "let down again."
Watch: MoneySavingExpert's Martin Lewis gives his instant take on the Budget 2021
"He's not helping us, he's not helping me," Isabel said.
Earlier Rishi Sunak announced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) was being extended to the end of September.
Budget 2021 LIVE: Sunak freezes income tax threshold and hikes corporation tax
The caller told Shelagh she thought the Chancellor was "very good at counting all these billions, but he's not very good at the small change."
When Shelagh asked the caller what her position was and why she had not been able to access any help the tale was a familiar one.
Isabel said as a limited company director she had been unable to access the Government financial support.
She said she felt like the Chancellor has "blanked us all the way."
"You fall through all the gaps."
Read more: Rishi Sunak says cost of Covid will hit £407bn as he unveils Spring Budget
Branding it "galling," the caller said without savings she would be destitute.
Isabel said it was a "total afront to see him standing up talking about all these billions he's flinging around and you're not getting any of it."
"I've been paying my taxes all my life, this is discrimination," the caller ended with.
Read more: Sir Keir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak's Budget of 'papering over the cracks'
Budget 2021: Extra support for self-employed revealed by Chancellor
Budget 2021: Key points at a glance
In the Commons Mr Sunak said the support for self-employed workers will continue until September, with the fourth grant providing three months of support at 80% of average trading profits. He noted for the fifth grant, people will continue to receive grants worth three months of average profits - with the system open for claims from late July.
Rishi Sunak said the full 80% grant will be given to people whose turnover has fallen by 30% or more, telling MPs: "People whose turnover has fallen by less than 30% will therefore have less need of taxpayer support and will receive a 30% grant."
On changes to the self-employed scheme, the Chancellor said: "When the scheme was launched, the newly self-employed couldn't qualify because they hadn't all filed a 2019/20 tax return.
"But as the tax return deadline has now passed, I can announce today that, provided they filed a tax return by midnight last night, over 600,000 more people, many of whom only became self-employed last year, can now claim the fourth and fifth grants."
