What makes the self-employed so special that we pay a higher USC?

As the voice of the Small Firms Association, AJ Noonan believes recovery is fragile and fervent depending on location

Suddenly: “Siobhán, we’re done. If you need anything else, or . . . oh. I had one little bit here at the end,” he puts his glasses back on and squints at the piece of paper. “The traits you look for in business people. Trust. Hard work. And balls. Ability to take risks, calculate the risks and deal with the consequences when the wrong decision is made. And keep going. Lovely to meet you.”
Siobhan Brett

It takes AJ Noonan just 14 minutes to dispense with the handwritten list. “Now,” he declares triumphantly, putting it down and pushing his chair back from the boardroom table. “That’s it.”

Noonan, elected chairman of the Small Firms Association (SFA) for a second term last year, has just given a rapid and animated run-down of ...