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The National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill has gained Royal Assent, following agreement between the two Houses of Parliament. MPs and peers had been battling over whether some groups, including the health and social care sector, should be excluded from the increases to employers’ national insurance.

The Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill received Royal Assent on 3 April, following both Houses agreeing on the text of the bill. This followed a number of rounds of 'ping pong' during which MPs and peers argued over whether the bill should be amended to enable lower business rates for healthcare providers and ‘anchor stores’ as well as whether there should be a separate use class for fulfilment centres.

The Treasury Committee convened a series of hearings on April 1 and 2 to scrutinise the Spring Statement. These sessions featured evidence from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), economic experts and the Chancellor herself. While the main topics were OBR forecasts and the government’s fiscal headroom, questions were also asked about potential future tax changes and the frequency of fiscal events, among other things.

The Senedd has agreed on the general principles of the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) bill, despite opposition concerns about its impact on small businesses and Welsh tourism. The government also proposed to exempt under-18s in lower-rated accommodation, while slightly increasing the base levy for others.

In this guest blog, Professor Susan Himmelweit and Ignacia Pinto, Senior Research and Policy Officer at the Women’s Budget Group, discuss the importance of progressive taxation in tackling gender inequalities in the UK.

The House of Lords debated Finance Bill 2024-25 on Wednesday, with peers expressing concern about the potential impact of measures including the abolition of non-dom tax status.

The House of Lords has inflicted a series of defeats on the government during the report stage of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, including removing the clause which scraps charitable rate relief for independent schools.

On March 19, 2025, the House of Commons considered Lords amendments to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill, rejecting all 21 of them.

The Welsh Budget for 2025-26 has been approved after the Labour Government granted concessions to the Senedd’s sole Liberal Democrat. Welsh income tax rates will be unchanged.

MPs have debated an e-petition opposing the imposition of VAT on independent school fees and the removal of business rates relief for these schools. The government said the policy was necessary’ to raise revenue, but a Labour MP suggested smaller, less wealthy schools should be exempt from the policy.