PM Ques - Over 40, On the Shelf? Or Just Waiting for a Tax Break?
Here's a bright idea... lets make entrepreneurship pay in the UK AND alleviate the tax burden - here is our 'How To' guide 2025...
Right, let's talk about being over 40 in the UK workplace. You know, that age where you're suddenly considered 'vintage' rather than 'experienced'. You've potentially got dodgy knees, an encyclopaedic knowledge of 80s pop trivia, and maybe, just maybe, a CV that could wallpaper a small room. But does the world of work want you? Sometimes, it feels like a resounding... "meh".
Now, layer onto that being disabled or neurodivergent. Suddenly, the job market can feel less like an oyster and more like a tightly clamped clam. It's a well-known, if grim, fact that finding and keeping fulfilling work gets tougher as one gets older. And for folks in this group, the stats aren't exactly cheerful reading. Unemployment rates are higher, and heartbreakingly, the mental health toll is severe, reflected in tragically high suicide numbers, particularly for men.
The Accidental Entrepreneurs
Here's a fascinating twist, though: around a quarter of the UK's entrepreneurs identify as disabled. Now, is this because they all had brilliant lightbulb moments while simultaneously battling inaccessible public transport? Sometimes, yes! But often, it's because navigating the standard recruitment process feels like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded after three pints. Bias, sadly, is real. Some HR folks have even admitted (quietly, one hopes) they're less likely to hire neurodivergent candidates. Their loss!
So, many incredibly talented disabled and neurodivergent people become their own bosses out of sheer necessity. They build businesses, create opportunities, and generally get stuff done (ofter minus investment, mentorship and MBA from Harvard). But – and it's a big but – the UK tax system isn't exactly laying out the welcome mat with champagne and confetti for any start-up, let alone one potentially juggling extra life admin and costs.
Speaking of costs, did you know the average disabled person forks out around an extra £500 a month just to level the playing field in daily life? That’s not for fancy coffees; that’s for essentials related to their condition. Slapping standard entrepreneurial tax burdens on top of that seems, frankly, a bit off.
Let's Get Fiscal: A Not-So-Modest Proposal
So, here's a thought. What if we stopped seeing disabled and neurodivergent entrepreneurs as a niche group needing 'help' and started seeing them as the untapped economic powerhouses they are?
Idea #1: Give 'em a better tax status. Seriously. If someone is overcoming societal barriers and the extra costs of living with a disability/neurodiversity to build a business, maybe they could get a bit of a break on their tax bill? It acknowledges the extra hurdles and frees up cash to reinvest or, you know, live.
Idea #2 (Feeling Bold!): How about a stonking great incentive for investment? Imagine: 100% tax relief for anyone – angel investors, venture capitalists, your Auntie Jean – who invests in a business where at least half the team (staff or directors) are disabled or neurodivergent. We used to do this for EIS (Layer Cake was a film funded on this basis and was a MASSIVE success)
Idea #3 (This is REALLY progressive!): Stop humiliating people with horrendous PIP interviews. They are MEANT to be evidence based claims, they aren’t in reality. I have NEVER met a person who ACTUALLY wants to claim money, it isn’t enough to live on and constantly having to PROVE you are unwell keeps you that way. Cymatics is real. First there was the WORD… One’s body is always listening… it is a toxic environment we have created for the most vulnerable in society; often those who have served in our armed forces. Time to change it on its head and give them SPECIAL tax terms as entrepreneurs permanently, not something one has to constantly prove. If you had PTSD (and have the medical evidence to prove it), are ADHD, have a physical disability lets give you something nice for a change; a favourable tax code and more expenses (eg Taxis, food etc) than neurotypical Joe and Joanna Average. This will also alleviate the tax and care cost on the |UK. As Brits we can feel proud to be British again!!! Oh Joy! Special mortgage terms would be good too as social housing is more antisocial these days, black mood invested, noisy at best.
Think about it. Suddenly, investing in genuine diversity and inclusion isn't just 'nice to have'; it's a blindingly obvious financial move. It would turbo-charge businesses led by and employing people who currently face the steepest uphill climb. We'd be rewarding companies that truly reflect the society we live in and unleashing a wave of innovation from perspectives too often ignored.
Why Bother?
Because the current situation is bonkers. We have a talented, resilient pool of people being pushed into self-employment through necessity, facing extra costs, navigating a complex tax system, and dealing with societal bias. Simultaneously, we wring our hands about labour shortages and boosting the economy.
Instead of just offering sympathy, let's offer smart, targeted, financial incentives. Let's make it easier for disabled and neurodivergent people over 40 (and under 40, let's be fair!) to thrive as entrepreneurs, and let's make it financially irresistible for others to back them. It’s not just about fairness; it’s about unleashing potential that’s currently being tragically wasted. Plus, it might just make the economy a bit more interesting than another chain coffee shop. What's not to love?
Author: Thea Montgomerie Anderson
Bibliography & Further Reading (Sources for the Stats):
Suicide Rates in Men: Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Disability Employment Gap: ONS
Neurodiversity Employment: Reports from organisations like the National Autistic Society or ADHD UK CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)
Disabled Entrepreneurs:Scope
HR Bias: Research paper - Research articles on 'hiring bias neurodiversity UK'.
Extra Costs of Disability: Scope.
UK Tax System & Entrepreneurship: Federation of Small Businesses - FSB, Chambers of Commerce) and think tanks frequently comment on the complexity and burdens of the UK tax system for start-ups and SMEs.