At IW Chamber we welcome the measures outlined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to support the self-employed and sole traders whose businesses have been affected by Coronavirus. As ever we await the full detail on what will be a complex scheme that goes some way to levelling the playing field with PAYE employees. There are exceptions within the scheme, particularly for company owners paid in dividends and it won’t help people who self-employ in addition to PAYE employment; the newly self-employed (without a tax return for 2018-19) are also currently outside the scope of the scheme.
I would stress again that the IW Chamber is the voice of Island business in these unprecedented times. I am continuing to talk to the Island’s MP Bob Seely on a daily basis and I have been sharing with him all of the concerns that I have received from Island businesses. In turn Bob has been able to press for action, either with questions in the House of Commons or direct approaches to the relevant ministries. As an accredited member of the British Chambers of Commerce your voice is also being represented by lobbying on a national level, resulting in much of the progress that we have seen in recent days.
It has been a very long week and there is still much uncertainty. At the Chamber we are fighting for a wide sector of businesses – especially those not yet recognised for support. We are pressing for more support for non-ratable small businesses that do not qualify for support from the Chancellor, as they don’t operate out of a fixed-premises therefore do not qualify for the £10k grant offered to the leisure, hospitality and events sector, which is so important to our Island economy.
Another aspect of our joined up Island approach has been around the support for the voluntary sector in these difficult times. Earlier this week Bob Seely asked a question in the Commons to Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, regarding supplies for Mountbatten. I’m also very pleased to see that the Isle of Wight Council is working to support WightAID, which will be focusing on grants to support frontline charities including the Isle of Wight Foodbank as well as homelessness, mental health and bereavement charities working on the Island. The IW Chamber is a long-time supporter of WightAID and the work that it does. These are difficult times but if you can support them you are really making a difference.
Find out more about the furloughing process here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
And more from the Isle of Wight Council here:
https://www.iow.gov.uk/Council/OtherServices/Public-Health-Coronavirus-COVID-19/Businesses-and-employers
