Chip shop owner says Budget will cost her £70,000

A fish and chips restaurant owner says she faces a £70,000 annual bill following changes to National Insurance announced in the Budget.

Lorraine Arnold, owner of Pier Point Fish and Chips in Torquay, said the policy change adds more than £700 per employee in National Insurance costs alone.

Ms Arnold, who employs 34 people during the winter and up to 60 in the summer, said the change, due to start next year, would be "devastating" for her business.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the rise in employers' National Insurance contributions was "difficult", but the right choice in order to fund public services.

The chancellor has increased the National Insurance rate paid by employers while also reducing the threshold at which they start paying it.

It means more than half of the tax rises in the Budget will be paid for by employers, with the jump in the amount they pay in National Insurance on workers' wages to generate £25bn a year.

Ms Arnold said that would mean paying thousands more in National Insurance contributions.

"She's left me with having to find £70,000," said Ms Arnold. "This policy punishes hard-working entrepreneurs.

"What is in my pocket is getting less and les and less."

She said the financial strain might force her to change her business model, potentially reducing staff.

"We won’t be able to hire local young people for summer jobs anymore. We’ll have to stick with a smaller core team year-round," she said.