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Budget plan to scrap NI payments given lukewarm welcome

The abolition of national insurance payments for employers of apprentices will not save much money, say nursery chains.

Susan McGhee, commercial director of Bertram Nursery Group, which employs about 140 apprentices, said, ‘It probably won’t increase the number of apprentices in nurseries.

‘Every little helps, but it won’t be a massive saving.’

In the Autumn budget statement yesterday, Chancellor George Osborne announced he would extend the NI exemption for employers from apprentices aged under 21 to those aged under 25.

He said, ‘When a business is giving a young person a chance in life we’re going to support them, not tax them.'

The treasury estimates that employers hiring an estimated 500,000 apprentices will benefit from the new rule, which will be brought in in April 2016.

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