Budget 2017: Move towards rehabilitation of the many self-employed

No sector took a greater battering during the recession than the self-employed. 

Between the acme of the boom in 2007 and the nadir of the bust in 2011, tax receipts from the self-employed were halved. That cold statistic masked the hardship of people going out of business, often in the building trade and small service providers such as restaurants and guesthouses.

The economic recovery heralded a recovery for the self-employed sector but the tax treatment remained harsh. Budget 2016 started the process of fairer tax treatment; Budget 2017 is continuing it. Compared to other taxpayers, the self-employed face three disadvantages.