SMALL businesses in Flintshire and Wrexham will pay over £9million a year due to the rise in national insurance, research has found.

Boris Johnson broke his 2019 manifesto promise by raising employer National Insurance Contributions by 1.25 per cent, impacting thousands of small businesses.

House of Commons Library research has detailed the impact of this tax rise on small businesses across the country.

It has found that the average micro-business employing up to nine people will pay an estimated £1,000 extra a year as a result of the tax hike.

In Flintshire, small businesses will pay an extra £5million a year, while those in Wrexham are facing a £4.1million hike.

Ahead of the budget, the Liberal Democrats are calling for small businesses to be offered a lifeline by slashing their employer’s national insurance contributions instead of raising them.

Under the party’s proposals, the Employment Allowance would be quadrupled from £4,000 to £16,000 for at least two years, meaning taxes on small businesses would be slashed by £5.5 billion next year.

Jane Dodds MS, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “The Tories’ broken manifesto promise will create a tax bombshell for the small businesses that are the backbone of our communities. It’s little wonder that voters no longer see the Conservative party as the party of low tax.

“We have already lost far too many treasured shops from our high streets, and too many businesses are drowning in tax rises and red tape.

“Rishi Sunak must give small businesses the chance to grow again instead of clobbering them with a crippling tax rise. The Chancellor is out of touch with small businesses and if he truly cared about their survival, he would cancel this tax hike immediately.

“The Liberal Democrats want to unleash the power of small businesses to create jobs and drive our economic recovery, by giving them the tax cut they need and deserve.”