The British Independent Retailers Association has welcomed last night’s rescue plan for the self-employed – but has raised concerns that many of its members still won’t benefit.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak unveiled a package of support for self-employed people unable to work following the coronavirus outbreak.
The bumper package will see self-employed workers paid up 80% of lost wages by the Government, capped at £50,000.
However, Bira’s CEO Andrew Goodacre said some members would still be left to struggle because of certain exemptions to the package.
“I welcome the fact that the Chancellor is committed to providing direct financial support to self-employed retailers,” he said.
“However, many of our members are not sole traders and so a grant based on profit may not work for them as our members might pay themselves a dividend, which is excluded.
“We need to understand the detail on this one – as with all the other announcements.”
Bira is calling for more transparency and detail over the financial support packages announced in the last fortnight and has promised to continue to fight for ‘the best deal for small, independent retailers’.
