Hard-up support worker admits 'I used to shop at Sainsbury's but now go to Iceland' and struggling pensioner says it's too expensive to use his oven - Brits react to tax cuts and pensions boost in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement

Jeremy Hunt cut national insurance for 27 million people in a highly political Autumn Statement ahead of a general election expected next year.

The two percentage point reduction in the main rate will save someone earning £35,000 more than £450.

The Chancellor also confirmed that a tax break allowing firms to cut their tax bills if the invest in new equipment will be made permanent.

Mr Hunt said his plan will 'raise business investment, get more people into work, reduce inflation' and increase the size of the economy.

But despite inflation falling to 4.6 per cent last week, Britons across the UK are still struggling with high energy bills and soaring costs in many areas of their finances. 

Here, MailOnline speaks to people across Britain about what it means for them: 

'I used to shop at Sainsbury's but now go to Iceland'

Name: Tracy Pavitt

Lives: East Croydon, London

Job: Support worker - earns £1,400 p/m

Tracy Pavitt has been pushed from shopping at Sainsbury's to going to Iceland as she is forced to cut costs.

The 56-year-old support worker pays £650 a month to live in a house where she has to share the shower with 16 others. 

With the electric meter costing her £40 every week, she has found herself ramping up her hours at work as she struggles to make ends meet.

While she used to choose a diet containing lots of fish she is now having to resort to Pot Noodles - as she has watched in shock as the price of a tub of margarine rose as high as £3.

Tracy said: 'It's really hard. I'm doing more hours of work to make ends meet.

'I'm just finding it really hard to get through now. Everything has got on top of me financially, everything. 

'I don't come out much, only to meet my friends, which is not very often. The cost of living has made a big difference.'

'I rely on a heated jacket because it's too expensive to heat bedsit'

Name: John Queen

Lives: Roundshaw, London

Job: Retired, with benefits of £207 p/w

John Queen lives alone in his studio flat, but cannot afford to heat his home on the £206.90 he gets every week.

The resourceful pensioner, 76, resorted to buying a heated jacket for £52 on Amazon three weeks ago - and says it is the 'best thing I have ever bought'.

Using his oven is too expensive, so he microwaves his food - he knows its not healthy, but he has no choice.

While he will be receiving an extra £18 a week as a result of the Autumn statement, he says this will have little affect on him. He said: 'it won't really feel like anything, because of how expensive everything still is.'

To get away from his studio flat, he goes to the pub for three pints of Newcastle Brown Ale - budgeting for every sip. 

But he hailed the government channeling money into public services - saying that he 'can't get a doctors apportionment to save my life'.

Mr Queen said: 'I told my son-in-law I needed the jacket because the heating is too expensive. I have to budget, I limited myself to microwave meals, because food is too much.

'If I do cook, I use the air fryer and slow cooker, because using the oven is too expensive to use. It's not healthy eating microwave meals, buts it's what I have to do.

'I have three Newcastle Browns a day in my budget of £4.20 each. The friendship and company is more valuable and important. You come here for your sanity and to speak to lovely people.'

'I have to borrow off my mum to buy food and snacks for my baby'

Name: Lauren Whisker

Age: 30 

Lives: Clayton, Manchester

Job: Single mum with £24 p/w in child benefits

Single mum Lauren Whisker has slammed the Autumn budget announcement as she claims it sees single parents 'forgotten' - because there's no increase to child benefit allowance.

The 30-year-old from Clayton, Manchester says she has to ask her mum for money to buy food and snacks for little Ava, one.

She get universal credit but has to live with her parents to make ends meet.

She works part time and says every penny she gets goes on her daughter - and £24 per week in child benefits is far from enough.

Ms Whisker says she has just three sets of clothes - and cannot buy any more because she already struggles to keep up when Ava needs new outfits as she grows.

She said: 'I get £24 a week and it's just not enough for everything.

'I have to borrow money off my mum for food and snacks and I have to walk everywhere because I can't afford the bus or tram.

'I just wish they would give us single parents more money to look after our children.

'You just can't afford everything a child needs on £24 a week. It needs to go up to at least £40 a week.

'Without enough child benefits I can't do anything and I feel forgotten.'

'This doesn't help my pub - I'll have to put my prices up to survive'

Name: Robin Trippick

Age: 61

Lives: Chichester

Job: Pub Landlord with 30 staff

Pub landlord Robin Trippick has called for a VAT break for the hospitality industry as he slams the new budget for being 'like moving deck chairs on the Titanic.'

His Chichester boozer has been the subject of a previously inflated energy contract and says he'll have to put his prices up again after the announcement of an increase to the national minimum wage.

Mr Trippick has not been able to pay himself a salary since the Covid pandemic, despite working over 100 hours a week.

He says he has been 'hit from every angle' by price hikes, an increase in minimum wage and rocketing energy bills that left him paying a stunning £5,000 every month.

The publican said: 'It really feels like hospitality has been hung out to dry. We're just not getting any help.

'I already work 100 hours a week and I don't get paid. I haven't taken a salary from my business since covid and all I'm doing is keeping 30 people employed.

'We came out of Covid and there was a huge staff shortage.

'Now what we're finding is because businesses are going under, all these chefs are knocking on your door looking for work.'

'I had to sacrifice luxuries - the government need to walk their talk'

Name: Lydia Mujuru

Age: 50 

Lives: Birmingham

Job: Medical imaging business owner

Single mum and business owner Lydia Mujuru says she will benefit from tax cuts but says the government need to 'walk their talk'.

The 50-year-old owns a diagnostic imaging company and says the abolishment of the 'class 2' national insurance for self-employed people will help her.

But the mum-of-two is still having to 'sacrifice luxuries' to plough money into her imaging diagnostic company and support her children. 

The raising of the minimum wage will also damage her small business, with Ms Mujuru saying she can no longer spend money on luxuries as she cuts back.

And she now fears from the NHS - as she says they will suffer from the cut in NI. 

She said: 'I will benefit from this. My concern is working in healthcare the cut in national insurance will mean less goes to the NHS.

'I'm living but I'm not comfortable. We are suffering. They need to walk their talk.'

'I'm going without luxuries. I used to go on holiday twice a year, and go for lunch, buy a lot of clothes.'

'I'm turning over just a tenth of what I made during the pandemic'

Name: Ruth Bradford

Lives: Bristol

Job: The Little Black and White Book Project

Ruth Bradford runs a small children's book business from her home while her husband Karl is a lawyer who falls within the higher tax bracket.

Mrs Bradford, 41, worries whether her business will even break £10,000 in profit this year as she says she has been turning over a tenth of what she made during the pandemic.

She says people have not been willing to spend as much as they have less disposable income due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Meanwhile, for her husband, 44, while he sits in the 40 per cent income tax bracket, he fears he may be at risk of being pushed into the additional rate band due to wage inflation.

The pair have two young children - Edward, seven and Josephine, two - between them and feel the cost of childcare and mortgages have been difficult to manage.

The couple say the 40 per cent higher tax rate is a 'real stinger' as the majority of their household income comes from her husband, whereas the same amount split between them would see them both in the basic rate bracket.

Mrs Bradford said: 'If both of us were earning the same amount but between us, we'd be tonnes better off.'

While her business has a turnover of between £60,000 to £70,000, she says she will be 'surprised' if she breaks even £10,000 in profit.

She says that wholesale clients have been closing down and she has had to spent 50 per cent more making her books, leaving her with little to nothing left for a salary.

Their that childcare costs are £500 per week for three days, and they also have payments on their electric car.

She said: 'Obviously, the employee NI cuts are a positive for my husband. It means more take home pay. At face value, it feels like a positive.

'However, maybe the threshold moving would've been more beneficial. Cutting NI from January 2024 isn't going to make people go out and spend more. It's not going to give the economy a huge boost.

'The threshold moving would've meant more.

'Certainly, with Karl's career trajectory in the next five years, as he is close enough to being pushed into the additional tax bracket, he would've felt more positive with a band change.

'And does an NI cut just mean our services are going to be hit harder?'

Couple call for investment support for small businesses 

• Names: Ray and Deirdre McGettrick
• Lives: Woolwich, South East London
• Job: ufurnish.com

Deidre Mc Gettrick and husband Ray having been running online business ufurnish.com together since 2020.

The website allows customers to search and compare furniture from different companies on one site.

The company has 16 employees and is still growing but the couple take a salary which falls within the basic rate.

Despite growing the company in three years, they say it has not been profitable of late with hefty income tax amounts as well as employer NI contributions and taxes.

The bought their first property together in Woolwich in 2020 and say their salary pretty much covers for their mortgage and bills, with little left as disposable income.

They hope that the government will provide investment support for small businesses as they try to grow their company.

First-time buyers say budget has not gone far enough to help young 

• Name: Lauren Cole-Lomas and Owen Woodward
• Age: 25 and 34
• Lives: Surrey

First-time buyers Lauren Cole-Lomas and boyfriend Owen Woodward say the statement has not gone far enough to help young people.

Ms Cole-Lomas, 25, put down a deposit on a one-bed flat in Weybridge, Surrey with Mr Woodward, 34, in August.

She said she expected to see more support to be announced for first-time buyers.

Lauren said: 'It is all well and good securing your mortgage and getting your deposit. But it is another thing to pay for your bills and pay for solicitors.

'There are more costs when it comes to getting a mortgage than you initially think.

'It would have been nice to see some initiative from the chancellor.'

Flower business owner struggling with higher bills and material cost

• Name: Catherine Ramm
• Age: 51
• Lives: Dorset
• Turnover: £30,000

Catherine Ramm is a single mother-of-four who began selling dried flower arrangements in 2017 to make some extra money during Christmas.

She then turned her idea into a fully-fledged business and now runs it from a studio in Corfe Castle, Dorset.

Mrs Ramm previously worked in network marketing for 20 years before setting up her dried flower company.

However, despite growing her firm throughout lockdown, she is struggling with increasing energy bills and the soaring cost of materials including flowers and packaging.

The 51-year-old was hoping to take on a staff member but feels it would be very difficult - especially now with the increase in minimum wages.

Her business has a turnover of around £30,000, and her income falls in the personal allowance tax bracket.

Speaking of hiring an employee, she said: 'My business is growing. I could do with employing someone, I would love to have someone to help, but it is expensive.'

To keep bills to a minimum, Mrs Ramm uses only a small halogen heater in the studio and instead wraps up warm.

She said: 'I keep the energy bill ridiculously small. It's around £10 to £20 a month. I literally can't afford a larger energy bill.'

Mrs Ramm, who is registered as a sole trader, is exempt from Income Tax as it falls within the Personal Allowance - but pays National Insurance monthly.

On any changes to National Insurance, she said: 'I pay NI as a self-employed person.

'I don't feel it takes a massive amount out of my business and I think all need to pay taxes if we want our children to go to school and want the NHS to work properly.

'Any reduction in NI will probably go on the increased costs of the minimum wage if I take on staff.'

She also says material costs have gone through the roof, with the cost of cardboard and flowers being a large cost.

She said: 'Some cardboard boxes cost £4 to £5 each, and preserved flowers are coming in at £15 a stem. Flowers have gone crazy. I end up making a very small amount of profit. If a wreath is £65, I sometimes get about £10 of profit.'

Cost of care for son means energy bills are 'through the roof'

• Name: Jemma Walker
• Age: 50
• Lives: Derbyshire
• Job: NHS worker and carer
• Salary: £2,200 per month after tax or around £47,000 a year

Jemma Walker, 50, from Derbyshire, works as a full-time clinical educator in the NHS while caring for her son George, 23, who has Down's syndrome.

The cost of care for George, who is constantly on oxygen and requires a lot of equipment, means energy bills are 'through the roof'.

Mrs Walker said last year's energy bill alone was around £8,000, working out at roughly £700 a month, while food and diesel costs for George adds additional pressure.

George receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - payments and Universal Credit which comes to around £800 a month, however Mrs Walker says this is not enough to cover the cost of care.

While she works full-time, George has to be sent to a day centre, or be looked after by a personal assistant, both of which eat into the family's finances.

The clinical educator has worked in the NHS for 30 years and says it feels like 'being stuck between a rock and a hard place'.

She says there are not enough rights for carers and that 'trying to juggle' all the expenses has been difficult.

Asked about Universal Credit rising in line with inflation, she said: 'As a public sector worker, my wages won't be in line with inflation.

'So if Universal Credit doesn't go up in line with inflation, that's a double hit.'

Speaking of being a public sector worker, she said: 'It's taken me 30 years working in the NHS to earn this much. I don't think we've had a proper pay rise in over a decade.'

Mrs Walker has a partner, Shaun, 56, and another 21-year-old son. The family have a fixed mortgage, paying £700 per month, but the rate ends next year.

Mother spends £6,000 a year on childcare for two days a week

• Name: Ruth Chipperfield
• Age: 34
• Lives: Birmingham
• Job: Jewellery business owner
• Salary: £20,000

Ruth Chipperfield, a 34-year-old married mother who lives in Birmingham, set up her own bespoke jewellery business called Ruth Mary Jewellery in 2016.

Established as a sole trader, she runs her business from a studio in her home, where she makes handmade, bespoke metal jewellery and helps repair sentimental pieces for her customers.

She says she has thought about getting a studio shop elsewhere but 'with property prices so high', it did not seem feasible.

The small business has a turnover of £60,000 projected for this financial year, earning Mrs Chipperfield a salary of around £20,000 pre-tax per year.

Of this, £1,500 is paid in income tax and £850 a year in National Insurance payments.

As a self-employed person, Mrs Chipperfield pays Class 2 and Class 4 NI contributions.

A change in the personal allowance tax threshold would benefit Mrs Chipperfield as it would decrease the amount of her salary that is taxable.

She said: 'It's a nice surprise. It saves me money so I'm happy.

'As a self-employed owner I feel policies tend to be aimed at small businesses that are registered as limited companies.

'So it is nice that they have aimed something at self-employed people as well.

She says that everything from petrol prices to energy bills to labour prices have gone up, with the cost of materials and the cost of insurance premiums on her materials also increasing.

Mrs Chipperfield's husband, Paul, is a graphic designer and the pair have a two-year-old son.

She added: 'The only thing I would've liked to have seen is help for childcare costs. I think it's a massive issue and helping individuals in that way then tends to help businesses too.'

Mrs Chipperfield says just the cost of childcare for two days a week comes to around £6,000.

Speaking of buying a property, she said: 'I haven't got round to it yet, but at some point it would be nice to.

'I think the Government's scheme gives the illusion of helping first-time buyers but it is not because it is keeping house prices high. So I am not entirely in support of these measures.

'These are little things that can help, but ultimately house prices are still high. And they are kept high because of these schemes like the 5 per cent guarantee.'

Aspiring homeowner waits for interest rates to settle down 

• Name: Laura Nineham
• Age: 36
• Lives: Portsmouth
• Job: SEO consultant
• Salary: £55,000

Laura Nineham, an SEO consultant from Portsmouth, has saved for a deposit and is now on the hunt for her first home.

The 36-year-old, who is currently travelling, hopes to buy a property close to where she grew up in Portsmouth but has been waiting for interest rates to settle down.

She is searching for a two-bedroom flat around the cost of £200,000 and has saved a more than 10 per cent deposit of £25,000.

She says she has been thinking of purchasing her first home for more than a year now but has been put off by heightened interest rates.

The use of a Lifetime ISA helped her put together the money for a deposit, with £2,300 of the £10,600 she holds in her LISA coming from the government bonus.

She said she lived in London for ten years, and while she would love to purchase her first property there, the prices are too high.

Asked whether she would make use of an extension of the Government's Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which allows first-time buyers to purchase with a 5 per cent deposit, she said: 'I would consider it, but it comes down to what is cheapest in the longer term.

'I'm really wary - and my dad drilled this into me - of making sure that they (mortgage repayments) are super affordable in case anything goes wrong.

'The monthly payments and outgoing of a 5 per cent deposit on a bigger house would burden me with more costs and higher rates. But I can see the need for it for others.'

Speaking of mortgage rates, she said: 'I'm waiting and keeping an eye on interest rates and on properties. I'm really hoping it might come down a little.'

She has used her LISA for three years to help save for her deposit, which she says has been 'great'.

On the announcement that ISA limits could reformed, allowing you to hold both stocks and cash in one ISA account, she said: 'That'll be really good. The one I have feels quite restricted. If I could open a stocks and cash ISA I would for sure.'

Ms Nineham, who earns around £55,000 per year before tax, takes her pay in both salary and dividends from her company Phoenix Content Ltd.

She pays corporation tax at the rate of 19 per cent, shelling out nearly £10,000 in corporation tax in the last financial year alone.

Retired nurse, 73, trying to make ends meet with pension payments

• Name: Thabani Sithole
• Age:
• Lives: Brixton, South London
• Job: Retired
• Pension: £365 per month and £109 per week pension credit

Thabani Sithole, 73, has been receiving a state pension since the age of 65 and currently receives £365 a month, with pension credit of £109 a week.

Ms Sithole was forced to retire just before the pandemic after coming down with shingles and suffering from worsening osteoporosis arthritis.

She had worked as a critical care nurse all her life and had later begun working in advertising but was put out of work due to illness.

Ms Sithole, who lives with her daughter, has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, and is trying to make do with the pension payments.

She is left in her overdraft most months despite trying to reduce energy costs and using food banks to manage grocery prices.

Her and her daughter, who until recently lived in West Norwood, South London, have decided to downsize and move to a bottom-floor apartment in Brixton that is more easily accessible.

They sold the house in West Norwood and bought the new flat through shared ownership.

On top of her state pension and pension credit, Ms Sithole also receives £407 a month in attendance allowance - extra money provided for those with a long-term physical or mental condition or disability.

Despite her daughter helping to pay towards household expenses, Ms Sithole struggles with affording bills, with gas and electricity coming to more than £180 per month.

Her total monthly expenditure, when including her mortgage, bills, groceries and other household expenses, comes to £2,018 - significantly more than she receives monthly.

She is hoping that the recent move to a smaller two-bedroom apartment 'will help'.

She said: 'I'm actually wondering how much it's going to help us. It is not enough for us who have worked hard all our lives.

'It gives us a bit of hope but the increase will be in April. What about now? April is a bit far away, we've got to get through the winter period before that.

'Some of us have worked so hard, I worked six days a week until I had to retire because of a knee operation.

'I know I'm not the only one, we need more help.'

Speaking of the 8.5 per cent increase in April. she added: 'I don't believe all their promises. I'm hoping they keep to their word.'

Trying to ensure lower inheritance tax bill for five-year-old daughter

• Name: Cass Helstrip
• Lives: St Albans, Hertfordshire
• Job: Freelance Travel PR
• Salary: Under £30,000

Cass Helstrip and her husband Al McPherson live in a four-bedroom house in St Albans with their five-year-old daughter Lola.

While Mrs Helstrip has recently moved out of her previous job to do ad hoc freelance work in order to spend time with her unwell mother, Al works at Octopus Investments.

Mrs Helstrip works as a self-employed freelance travel PR and earns less than £30,000 a year.

She hopes that income tax thresholds will be increased and says any changes to the personal allowance amount would be 'really good' for her.

She said: 'That would be really good for me as at the minute I'm trying to spend time with my mum and so am not looking to bring home a crazy salary, just enough to pay the bills.'

The couple pay a hefty mortgage on their house in St Albans which they also had to pay a large amount of stamp duty on.

Begin to think ahead for Lola, they are looking into ways to reduce her eventual inheritance tax bill.

With Mrs Helstrip's mother being ill with dementia, and her father looking at the prospect of having to spend a lot of his savings on dementia care, the couple have felt the need to begin planning early.

They have got health insurance for the whole family and booked an appointment to get their will arranged. They are also considering starting a trust for Lola.

Mr McPherson's salary falls in the higher rate band and is unlikely to benefit from any changes to the thresholds.

On pension pots, Mrs Helstrip has been spending the past few months desperately attempting to bring her three different pension pots together.

She said it has taken paying an external company to locate her pension pots to find out where they are held.

Hoping for measures to lift burden off their four children

• Name: Chris Saynor
• Lives: Hertfordshire
• Job: Runs a luxury stays rental

Chris Saynor, who runs a luxury stays business in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, has already begun taking measures to mitigate the amount of inheritance tax his children will have to pay.

The luxury retreat owner, who runs the stays with wife Vicky, says that he has registered his business as a limited company so that he can pass it on to his eldest daughter as a director.

He has also started up a Lifetime ISA to begin investing early and help her to get on the property ladder.

While he has mixed feelings about inheritance tax, and thinks other taxes such as income tax are more pressing matters to address, he hopes taking some measures will help lift the burden off his children.

The couple have four children - Felix, Poppy, Mylo and Willow - between them.

Their luxury stays are on their estate in Hertfordshire but they recently decided to register a company as they are building a new stay in Suffolk.

Changes to stamp duty would make couple buy another property 

• Name: Rachel and James Harris
• Lives: High Wycombe
• Jobs: Accountancy firm
• Salary: Over £100,000 each

Rachel and James Harris, who live in High Wycombe, started up accountancy firm striveX – a company which helps businesses and entrepreneurs with their finances – in 2020.

Their small business has grown to be worth £1million and they have 17 employees.

Paying corporation tax at the highest rate – 25 per cent – they are hoping for any kind of changes in rates.

The couple have a portfolio of three properties and have been holding off from purchasing further due to heightened interest rates and stamp duty costs.

If stamp duty were to be cut, they say it would definitely push them to buy again.

The pair earn over £100,000 each, paying themselves a tax-efficient salary of £9,100 while taking the rest in dividends.

Speaking of corporation tax concerns, Mrs Harris said: 'This year, we're dealing with a new corporation tax rate of 25 per cent as a business that has a profit of more than a quarter of a million pounds.

On stamp duty, she said: 'Yes, we last bought a property last year and if there were changes to stamp duty would definitely buy again.

'As landlords, we pay a higher rate of stamp duty. Stamp duty and interest rates are the reason we haven't bought a property this year.'

Concerns over road tax and rising cost of charging electric car 

• Name: Tom Anderson
• Age: 34
• Lives: Peterborough
• Job: Co-owner of advertising agency 
• Salary: Higher rate taxpayer

Tom Anderson, 34, co-owns advertising agency Hummingbird and has been driving a Tesla model 3 car on lease since 2021.

He made the switch due to the business tax relief incentive and had hoped home charging the battery would cost considerably less than having to pay for petrol or diesel.

While charging the vehicle from empty to full still only costs around £10, which would give around 300 miles range, this only cost between £3.50 and £5 back in 2021 – less than half the price.

He said that while this doesn't seem excessive, it likely costs him between £500 and £1,000 more in the long-term than he had originally planned for.

The car is on a three-year lease and comes to an end next April, and he still plans to get another electric car.

Despite hoping that it would be the more cost-effective option, he has found that car insurance on his electric car has been twice the cost of that on a petrol car.

Insurance on his Tesla, for both himself and his wife, comes to £1,200, compared to £600 on his petrol car which he also uses.

He worries that road tax will be brought in on electric vehicles soon, which will another additional cost.

His company has an annual turnover of around £1.5million and he is a higher rate taxpayer.

Alcohol duty and material costs prompting product price rises 

• Name: Ryan Luke and Tom Mills
• Ages: 30 and 28
• Live: Suffolk
• Job: Gin distillery owners

Ryan Luke and Tom Mills have been running the Heart of Suffolk Distillery since 2018 and say the biggest issue they face is alcohol duty.

The pair, who took over the long-running business from Mr Luke's parents, say that nearly a quarter of the price they sell each bottle of gin for goes towards alcohol duty.

The standard price of their London dry gin bottle was hiked for the first time in several years a few months ago to make up for a rise in duty and material costs.

Selling for £39.95 a bottle, Mr Luke says that £9.30 alone goes towards alcohol duty, not including VAT charges and material costs.

He says the cost of the physical bottle itself has doubled from £1.12 each when they first began to £2.72 now.

While they tried not to pass the cost on to customers, they were forced to hike prices a few months ago when it became unfeasible.

They say they are lucky to be exempt from business rates due to their premises being small enough, but say the electricity bill has been 'creeping up'.

Mr Luke says the cost of production, which involves around six to seven different suppliers, has gone up significantly.

He is concerned that everyone from label makers to bottle suppliers are having to charge more.

Increasing minimum wage is also something he is concerned about, as they were hoping to take on more employees as they expand in 2024.

He says he will have to rethink this as the wage increases. They currently have two apprentices and two-part time staff working for the company.

Closely watching changes to corporation tax and fuel duty 

• Name: Chris Gibbons
• Lives: Norwich
• Job: Flat roofing services
• Salary: £45,000

Chris Gibbons runs flat roofing service Morello Services with his business partner Steve Buckingham.

He got involved in the company under two years ago, but it has been running since 1978.

The company turned over roughly £1.4million last year and is forecasted to turnover £2.5million this year.

They run the business from a small warehouse and office - and say corporation rates have been a big cost.

The pair are hoping that any changes to the rate could help, or an extension to the business rates relief. One of their biggest concerns, however, is fuel duty.

The company runs 20 vans and has seen the fuel for vans rise from £1,700 to £1,800 per month before the surge to more than £3,000 per month now.

Mr Gibbons said he pays himself around £25,000 in salary and another £15,000 to £20,000 in dividends.

He says that changes to corporation tax or fuel duty would 'really help' them as they 'desperately try to get money back into the industry'.

Pub owners face electricity bills of £4,200 per month

• Name: Keris and Lee De Villiers
• Ages: 43 and 53
• Live: Wandsworth, South West London
• Job: Run two pubs (tenanted model)

Keris and Lee De Villiers have been running their pub The Pig and Whistle in Wandsworth for 11 years and took on a second pub The Beehive just two years ago.

Despite struggling with business during Covid, they say they traded wherever they could, and still had a lot of customers as it is a neighbourhood pub.

However, they say the years since, with soaring energy bills and cost of items, have been much tougher.

Run under a tenanted model, the pubs are owned by Punch Pubs and Fuller's, to whom they pay rent.

The pair currently pay business rates at the 75 per cent discounted rate, paying around £700 per month for The Pig and Whistle and £200 per month for The Beehive.

They worry that if the relief comes to an end next year, they will be running at a loss.

An end to business rates relief would see them charged four times higher, at £3,000 per month for the larger Pig and Whistle, and more than £800 per month for their new venture The Beehive.

On top of business rates concerns, they have been hit with heavy electric bills, rising from £1,200 per month prior to the surge, to £4,200 per month now.

The expensive bills have pushed them to keep lights off before opening time.

Mrs De Villiers said: 'Even right now, I'm sitting here in the pub with no lights on.

'Everything is just more expensive as a pub. But we don't want to put higher prices on to the customers. It's not tangible.

'We haven't lost the regular customers we get coming in. But whereas they used to come in four times a week, they probably come in once or twice a week.'

Mrs De Villiers also slammed alcohol duty, saying that it is pushing the price of a pint from £6.95 to £7.20.

She says they sacrifice duty when they charge the customer though, as they refuse to put up the cost of a pint past £7.

They also say that minimum wage increases would push them to 'completely reassess their business model'. Between both pubs, there are around 20 staff.

Mrs De Villiers said: 'I want them to have fair wages but it is very hard to help the same amount of staff.'

She said that while turnover has increased compared to last year, their profits have not.

Concerns over 'National Insurance squeeze' and corporation tax 

• Name: Mahmood Reza
• Lives: Leicester
• Job: Financial education business
• Salary: Up to £90,000

Mahmood Reza, from Leicester, earns between £80,000 to £90,000 through his two tax advisory and financial education companies I Hate Numbers and Numbers Know How.

He has been in the business for 30 years and says the turnover is in 'the healthy six figures'.

But Mr Reza is currently worried about business rates because he benefits from the relief which provides a 75 per cent discount, and is also concerned about corporation tax where he lies between the 19 and 25 per cent rate.

He says that another big issue has been the 'National Insurance squeeze' as he has eight employees between the two businesses.

He says that between paying hefty NI contributions for employees and paying the self-employed NI rate, the totals can be 'eye-watering'.

As a business owner, he takes part of his income as a salary through income tax, and the rest in dividends.

He says, however, that he ends up investing a lot of his profits back into the company.

Pensioner motorist complains over expensive fuel duty prices 

• Name: Bob Bull
• Age: 77
• Lives: Bristol
• Job: Retired

Bob Bull is enraged at fuel duty prices and says that while they have 'flattened out a little' since last year, they still remain expensive.

The 77-year-old from Bristol owns a red Mazda MX5 which has a 50L capacity.

Mr Bull, who is chairman of the Alliance of British Drivers, says that while it used to cost him just over £50 to fill a full tank back in 2020 before the fuel price surge, now he spends up to £85 to fill an entire tank from empty.

He says that 'freezing' the fuel duty does nothing, and that it is 'ridiculous' that there is a 'raw tax on petrol and then the VAT on top of that'.

Mr Bull, who receives a state pension and company pension, says he is more fortunate than others.

On the topic of pensioners being pushed to downsize and free up bigger houses, he said a cut in stamp duty would still not push him to do so.

He said: 'You've worked all your life to buy your house and do it up how you like it. Why would you move?'

Pub owners face soaring energy bills, VAT costs and NI payments 

• Name: Paul and Emma Gibbon
• Lives: Cheltenham
• Job: Run two pubs (tenanted model, not pub landlords)

Emma and Paul Gibbon have been running two pubs in Cheltenham - The Hewlett and The Plough Inn - for ten years and seven years respectively.

Despite successfully running the pubs for years, they are struggling to cope with soaring energy bills, VAT costs, National Insurance payments, and the risk of business rates relief coming to an end.

The couple, who have a ten-year-old daughter called Nola, have been running an online campaign called #Notjustapub to show people the impact local pubs have on the whole community.

They rent the pub itself but own the business, and say that even with the current business rates relief it has been difficult to cover all costs.

Currently, they pay £300 per month for each pub on business rates – a figure that would be more than three times higher - £1,000 per month - if the Government relief were to come to an end as projected next year.

The biggest cost the couple are campaigning against currently are VAT costs.

They are calling for a reduction in the costs which they say impact the hospitality industry disproportionately.

While they are able to claim back the 20 per cent VAT they pay on alcohol, they are affected by VAT costs on food, and say they are then faced with whether to pass that onto customers as they try not to put prices up.

Mrs Gibbon said: 'There is somewhat of a perfect storm coming for hospitality with business rates potentially going back up and the increase in minimum wage.

'Employee costs are sky high when you take into account NI contributions, net pensions, and employers' tax. The taxes hospitality are hit with is infuriating.

'We make enough to survive. It would be nice to make enough to make a profit. There is such little reward.'

Following all bills, taxes and employee costs, the couple only take a small salary.