The Chancellor previously commented that given the level of support provided to the self-employed during the pandemic, it was harder to justify the inconsistencies in national insurance contributions between people of differing employment statuses. This resulted in speculation of a possible alignment of national insurance rates paid by employed and self-employed individuals. If introduced, this could have represented a significant cost to self-employed individuals of professional practices in an LLP or partnership. National insurance rates, however, remain unchanged, along with rates of income tax and capital gains tax. There has been a small increase in the higher rate threshold for income tax and Class 4 NIC, together with a similar increase in the personal allowance for 2021/22. These thresholds will then be frozen until 2025/26, which will effectively increase the tax burden on many individuals over time.