As an organisation representing the 3.8 million UK taxpayers who were excluded from government support during the Covid-19 pandemic, ExcludedUK welcomes any measures in today’s Budget that genuinely ease financial pressure on ordinary households. In particular, the proposed abolition of the two child benefit cap is a positive step. It offers increased support to families, some of whom may also include individuals who were excluded from Covid support and who continue to face economic hardship.
However, we remain concerned that many of the tax and fiscal changes announced today may disproportionately affect those who are already marginalised. That includes self-employed people, freelancers, small business operators and workers on unstable contracts, who form the core of the ExcludedUK community. With tax increases, frozen income tax thresholds and other fiscal changes designed to plug gaps in the public finances, there is a real risk that some of our members will face higher living costs, squeezed incomes or reduced purchasing power.
We acknowledge the government’s stated aims to rebuild the economy, invest in public services and avoid a return to austerity. For ExcludedUK, however, the fundamental injustice that motivated our founding remains unresolved. Our community did not receive fair support during the pandemic and many continue to carry financial, professional and emotional scars. The Budget does little, at face value, to address the specific losses of earnings, collapsed businesses, damaged careers, mental health impacts and the lack of recognition that followed government exclusion.
Accordingly, ExcludedUK calls on the government to recognise the ongoing hardship faced by those excluded from Covid-era support. We urge ministers to bring forward a dedicated reparative package for excluded taxpayers and businesses, including fair compensation for lost earnings or profits, support for ongoing financial and mental health difficulties, and safeguards so that in any future crisis, support schemes are inclusive from the outset.
Until such a package is delivered, today’s Budget may offer limited relief for some families, but it does not redress the deep structural injustice experienced by the ExcludedUK community.
admin@excludeduk.org
Recent Comments