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Boris Johnson begins his statement by saying our NHS "is the pride of our whole United Kingdom" and even more so following the pandemic.

It treated over half a million patients, he says, saving countless lives - but Covid has "placed massive pressures on our NHS".

He says that thousands of people "did not come forward for the treatment they needed".

The PM says that we must provide the money needed to deal with a backlog in care.

Boris Johnson tells MPs a new levy will raise almost £36bn over the next three years - to be spent across the whole of the UK.

It won't be paying awards for middle management, he says, but will go straight to the frontline.

It will be spent on radical innovation including better screening equipment, dedicated surgical facilities, faster access to specialists and new digital technology.

We will do all this in a way that is right, reasonable and fair, he says.

The costs will be shared between individuals and businesses, including those above state pension age.

The system is progressive, No 10 says. Those who earn more will pay more, A typical basic rate taxpayer earning £24,100 will pay £180 a year, or £3.46 per week. A typical higher rate taxpayer earning £67,100 - in the top 15% of earners - will pay £7.15 a week.

Additional rate tax payers (those paying the highest rate) will contribute 20% of the revenue, even though they are just 2% of taxpayers.

Higher rate taxpayers - 14% of the total - will pay half the revenue.

6.2 million people earning less than £9,568 will not have to pay.

Dividend tax is going up too by 1.25%, to ensure people who receive income through dividends make the same contribution. These people are more likely to be higher earners.

Big businesses will pay the most of the extra revenue coming from the increase to employers NICs, with 70% of the money coming from the biggest 1% of employers - those with more than 250 employees.

40% of all businesses (mostly small business) will not have to pay anything extra.

No 10 says that, because employers also contribute, raising NICs is fairer than raising income tax. To raise this money from income tax, income tax would have to go up by 2%. A typical basic rate taxpayer would pay around £230 a year, instead of £180. For a higher rate taxpayer, that would be £1,090 instead of £750.

Currently anyone with assets over £23,250 has to pay their care costs in full. That means around one in seven people pay more than £100,000. From October 2023 the system will change and anyone with assets worth less than £20,000 will have their care costs fully covered by the government. Anyone with assets between £20,000 and £100,000 will be expected to contribute to the cost of care, but will also be eligible for state support covering some of the costs. This support will be means tested.

No one will ever have to pay more than £86,000 for care in their lifetime - roughly equivalent to three years of care.

The system will be made fairer, so that people who pay for their own care do not have to pay more than state-funded individuals for equivalent care.

The NHS and the care system will also be brought closer together.

There will be a No 10 Press Conference at 4pm today by PM Boris Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Minister Sajid Javid.

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