Self employed classical violinist Róisín Walters has launched a petition calling on the Government to waive any January 2021 tax bills that may be payable by freelance workers who have been excluded from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
Workers who have had no income since March 2020 are now being asked to settle their tax bills due in respect of earlier earnings, even though they may be struggling to survive. Walters moved from a salaried position with one orchestra to a self employed position with another in 2019, the timing of which meant she has been excluded from financial support from the SEISS. She is facing tax bill that she cannot afford to pay.
Only 1 in 10 freelancers who did not qualify for SEISS failed to qualify because their earnings were above the £50,000 cut off point. The rest are basic rate tax payers.