Chancellor Rachel Reeves is weighing a major tax rise that could affect thousands of self-employed professionals, including GPs and lawyers.
The proposal would make Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) liable for employers' National Insurance Contributions (NICs), impacting around 190,000 professionals.
The current exemption is an "accident of history" and introducing new "partnership NICs" has been suggested.
Treasury insiders say the measure is being considered to close a multi-billion-pound gap in public finances, with government borrowing reaching nearly £100 billion in the first half of the financial year.
Author's summary: Chancellor considers new tax on self-employed.