A plea has been issued to the Chancellor to deliver a Spring Statement to “save Taunton and Wellington’s businesses”.

Gideon Amos MP hhas made the call ahead of the statement due to be made tomorrow, Wednesday, March 26.

He is opposing the impending hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions, set to come into effect on April 6.

Mr Amos recently highlighted the plight of businesses like Taunton’s Mr Miles Tea Room in Parliament.

He has also written to the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses to tell them of the repeated moves he and his Liberal Democrat colleagues have made in Parliament to reverse the proposed rise.

Dubbed “a tax on jobs”, the contributions paid by employers will rise to 15% from April and will, for the first time, be payable on any employees earning more than £5,000 per year rather than £9,100 and above as at present.

Last week, Labour MPs voted down a Lib Dem amendment, passed in the House of Lords, which would have exempted care providers, charities and NHS doctors and dentists from the tax.

Mr Amos has said it was utterly unacceptable for the Chancellor to be “putting key Taunton and Wellington businesses at risk because of this jobs tax” and he called on Rachel Reeves to scrap the increase in her Spring Statement on Wednesday.

He has also called on the Chancellor to deliver a Statement on Wednesday which would “save our town centres” by cancelling the National Insurance rise and overhauling the business rates system to unleash growth in the community.

Mr Amos said: "Liberal Democrats have campaigned for Business Rates to be abolished and resolved with a levy paid by landowners so that investing in plant and fittings would no longer mean higher rates.

“As part of this we need to see more High Street businesses exempted from rates. It’s time the big online companies and out of town warehouses paid their fair share instead.

“Instead, unfortunately too many businesses have told me they are scaling back the number of people they employ and reducing investment.

“After the pandemic, occupancy rates of premises in Taunton have climbed to 90% but we need to boost investment and tackle the remaining empty shops and businesses in both Wellington and Taunton.

“Their Budget last October talked a lot about making that kind of growth happen but then taxed the very people that could deliver it from shops, hospitality and leisure businesses to care providers and even NHS practices.

“The Spring Statement needs to reverse this tax on jobs and overhaul business rates for the sake of our town centres, our communities and our national economy”.