Services that support some of England’s most vulnerable people have warned that tax increases in the budget will lead to cuts and closures that could devastate the charity sector. Although the NHS and councils are protected from the impact of the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) announced in Wednesday’s budget, charities that provide services say the increase means they will face “existential” financial pressures. Family doctors and pharmacists – who provide NHS-funded services as private providers – also demanded they be exempted from the rise, saying the extra NICs costs could force a reduction in primary care services.