New figures released by Crawley Labour reveal that families in Crawley are facing a £13m NICs hike thanks to the latest Tory tax rise. Under the Conservative’s plans to raise National Insurance this April, the average worker in Crawley will pay an extra £270 in NICs alone.

The increase pushes taxes up to a 70-year high – and comes at a time when energy bills are set to rise by almost £700 and inflation is at a 30-year high.

Publishing the figures Cllr Peter Lamb, Labour Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said:

“Crawley’s workforce has been hit harder economically by the Government’s Coronavirus restrictions than anywhere else in the country. Even now, unemployment in Crawley remains at level higher than at almost any other time in the history of the New Town.

“Yet, just as our local industries are starting to recover, Rishi Sunak is both increasing the tax on businesses creating new jobs and disproportionally hiking the taxes for those on low incomes. We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, now is not the time to be targeting those least able to afford new taxes. The sad reality is that as one of the wealthiest men in Britain, it would appear Mr Sunak is out of touch with the reality facing tens of thousands of residents in Crawley.”