UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons. AFP / UK Parliament
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons. AFP / UK Parliament
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons. AFP / UK Parliament
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons. AFP / UK Parliament

UK Parliament backs Johnson's plan to increase taxes


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

British politicians backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to raise taxes in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday, clearing the way to direct more funds into the country's creaking health and social care system.

Mr Johnson had angered some members of his governing party by breaking election promises not to increase taxes, and only set out the full plan on Tuesday.

Despite the backlash, his party, with a working majority of 83, won the vote 319 to 248.

Under the proposal, the rate of National Insurance payroll taxes paid by both workers and employers will rise by 1.25 percentage points, with the same increase also applied to the tax on shareholder dividends.

It is expected to raise £12 billion ($17 billion) a year.

The extra funds will go into Britain's social care system, where costs are projected to double as the population ages over the next two decades.

They will also be used to tackle waiting lists within the state-run National Health Service after it directed its resources into confronting the pandemic, leaving millions of people waiting months for treatment.

British politicians have tried for years to find a way to pay for social care, though successive Conservative and Labour prime ministers have ducked the issue because they feared it would anger voters and their parties.

For Mr Johnson, tackling the problem offers a possible way to broaden his domestic legacy, although critics have said his plan does not go far enough. They say it will also unfairly increase the tax burden on working-age British people.

The vote win does, however, provide some respite for Mr Johnson after his government came in for heavy criticism over its handling of Afghanistan. Five Conservative politicians voted against the plan while others abstained.

The%20specs
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ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

The specs: 2018 Audi RS5

Price, base: Dh359,200

Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

The lowdown

Rating: 4/5

'Midnights'
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8​​​​​​​

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019

Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)

Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)

Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)

Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL

Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)

Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup

Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar

Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar

Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)

Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)

Updated: September 08, 2021, 10:25 PM`