The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
Letter to Scottish MPs: National Insurance Contributions Bill
Ahead of the 2nd reading of the National Insurance Contributions Bill, SCVO's Chief Executive, Anna Fowlie, wrote to Scottish MPs. Below is the text of the letter, minus tailored constituency information. You can find constituency information for other MPs on the Geographical information section (pages 7-11) of SCVO’s State of the sector statistics.
Letter
Dear [MP's name]
I am writing to ask for your support for voluntary organisations in Midlothian and across Scotland and have included some information below about your constituency that you might find helpful.
Tomorrow, MPs will debate the National Insurance Contributions Bill, which will take forward Treasury plans to impose tax hikes on the voluntary sector.
We estimate this Treasury decision comes with an annual cost of at least £75 million for voluntary organisations in Scotland. Some organisations face additional costs to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. That can’t be right.
I’m asking for your support to ensure voluntary organisations do not find themselves out of pocket – as has already been promised to public sector employers.
Read more about the impact of the changes, including testimony from voluntary organisations.
Every day, voluntary organisations provide essential services to people and communities in your constituency and across Scotland. They include social care providers looking after our loved ones, initiatives tackling social isolation, food banks, disability support services, and homelessness charities providing lifeline support every day, and much more.
[Constituency}
In [constituency]:
- There are [x] organisations
- [x] paid staff worked for voluntary organisations in 2023
- Charities invest £[x]m in supporting people and communities and other charitable activities.
The Scottish Parliament has already voted, expressing concern for the impact on the voluntary sector.
The UK government still has a chance to change course. I hope that I can count on your support to make the case for our sector. If you are speaking in the debate or are able to contribute, please highlight the impact on voluntary organisations.
If you would like to work with us to oppose the tax hikes facing our sector, as this Bill progresses through the Commons, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Anna
Anna Fowlie
Chief Executive
SCVO
Additional information
SCVO Briefing Scottish Government debate: Impact of National Insurance Increase on Public Services
Letter to John Swinney, First Minister: Autumn Budget 2024 – employers’ National Insurance contributions
Letter to Scottish MPs - UK Budget: Impact of NI changes on charities in your constituency
SCVO, NCVO, NICVA, and WcVA letter to Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer: Autumn Budget 2024 – employers’ National Insurance contributions
Letter to Scottish MPs: UK Budget: Support the voluntary sector in your constituency
SCVO letter to Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer
