Employees do not pay 12% in National Insurance
Since January, National Insurance payments have been 10% of an employee’s salary, though this will be 8% from April. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
We check facts about the UK economy. This includes money issues like prices, taxes, jobs, people out of work, and housing. We also look at how these things are different in each part of the UK.
Economy, Business & Finance
National Insurance contributions don’t determine how much is spent on health and welfare
Money raised through National Insurance is notionally separate from other tax revenue. But it doesn’t determine the amount of money which is spent on the NHS or social security. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Government borrowing is not forecast to increase year on year
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed that government borrowing “goes up in every year” of the OBR’s latest forecast published this week. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
How has disposable income changed since 2010?
Disposable household income has increased in real terms under the Conservative party, but it’s also true that real income growth has been weaker than levels seen under the last Labour government. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Overall GDP hasn’t had ‘seven consecutive quarters of no growth’
Labour MP Sarah Owen’s claim at Prime Minister’s Questions isn’t true of GDP overall. She was referring to GDP per capita instead, though she didn’t specify this at the time. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Think tank did not estimate that the average person is ‘over £10,000 a year’ worse off since 2010
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner MP and Janet Daby MP both misquoted a figure from the Centre for Cities think tank in Parliament. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Underlying debt is forecast to be higher in five years’ time than it is currently
An exchange between chief secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott and Radio 4 presenter Evan Davis has gone viral after confusion over debt projections. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
How many people use food banks?
Labour and the TUC have claimed there are 2.98 million people now using food banks—but this figure appears to actually be the number of parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
Have there been 25 tax rises since the last election?
Labour politicians have repeatedly made this claim, but it’s unclear how the party arrived at the figure. Read
Fact checks
Economy, Business & Finance
MailOnline corrects ‘fiscal headroom’ headline
A headline published online by the Daily Mail claimed the OBR has forecast Jeremy Hunt will have up to £10 billion in fiscal headroom in the Spring budget. Read
Fact checks
