Brits using their mobile phones outside of the EU will see a steep rise in costs, after chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond confirmed that roaming outside of the bloc would be subject to UK VAT—a 20 percent tax paid by consumers.

Number 11's occupant told MPs during his Budget speech that the decision to "introduce UK VAT on roaming telecoms outside the EU was in line with international standard practice." He announced it as part of a number of measures to tackle tax avoidance.

The Budget report claimed that the government's policy decision on slapping VAT on mobile roaming outside of the EU would reel in an extra £305 million for HMRC over the next five years. British mobile phone users already pay VAT on calls, texts, and data usage within the UK and EU, but international usage was previously exempt from the tax.

The EU recently confirmed plans to end roaming charges, with plans to phase out wholesale fees for data between June this year and 2022.

Hammond also fleshed out the government's plans for investment in technology based on a £740 million pot of cash that was earmarked by the treasury last autumn. So-called "full fibre" broadband networks will get £200 million of taxpayer funds to help local projects "test ways to accelerate market delivery." According to the Budget report, the following approaches will be combined:

Bringing together local public sector customers, to create enough broadband demand to reduce the financial risk of building new full-fibre networks;

Offering full-fibre broadband connection vouchers for businesses, to increase take-up of services where new networks are built through the programme;

Directly connecting public sector buildings, such as schools and hospitals. This will bring fibre closer to more homes and businesses, allowing them to be connected;

Opening up public sector assets, such as existing ducts, to allow fibre to be laid more cheaply.

Number 11—again, as previously announced—is throwing £270 million on the pile to help fund research and development in robotics, driverless cars, and biotech.

When announcing those plans Hammond couldn't resist a quip about Labour. "The party opposite knows something about the technology of driverless vehicles," he joked in reference to Jeremy Corbyn's leadership skills.

A 70-page strategy for the government's 5G tech development plans was also released on Wednesday to coincide with the Budget. Hammond said that the government would spend £16 million on a new national 5G hub, which will trial the tech. Again, we knew that already.

Finally, it was bad news for self-employed techies, with the government reneging on its manifesto promise not to hike National Insurance contributions (NICs).

"Such dramatically different treatment of two people earning essentially the same undermines the fairness of the tax system," said Hammond. "Employed and self-employed alike use our public services in the same way, but they are not paying for them in the same way."

By April 2019, the Class 4 National Insurance Class will climb from 9 percent to 11 percent. "To be able to support our public services in this budget and to improve the fairness of the tax system, I will act to reduce the gap to better reflect the current differences in state benefits," the chancellor said, in a clear blow to freelance folk.

Update (March 15)

In an embarrassing U-turn, the Tory government—which faced fierce opposition to its NICs plan from many of its own MPs—has ripped up the National Insurance increase for self-employed folk that it announced only a week ago.

2017 £2bn u-turn in a week. 2016 £4bn PIP u-turn in 5 days. No wonder they're abolishing Spring Budgets, they keep ripping them up pic.twitter.com/ZPrmdjCbE8 — Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 15, 2017

Hammond said: "In the light of what has emerged as a clear view among colleagues and a significant section of the public, I have decided not to proceed with the Class 4 NIC measure set out in the Budget."

It means any NICs hike has been nixed during this parliament.