Government to review rollout of controversial IR35 tax reforms January 7, 2020 The government said today it will review the rollout of controversial tax plan IR35 which is due to take effect in April 2020. IR35, which aims to prevent workers from disguising themselves as freelance contractors as a way to pay less tax, is being extended in April. Under the changes private sector employers will be [...]
HMRC collects extra £5.4bn via specialist fraud investigation team December 2, 2019 HMRC has collected £5.4bn in additional tax and fines through its fraud investigation service in the last year, figures published today show. Tax and fines collected through investigations into criminal gangs importing illegal cigarettes and alcohol represented £2.9bn of the total, law firm Pinsent Masons said. Another £1bn was collected through investigations into VAT fraud, [...]
DEBATE: Is Uber’s loss of its London licence evidence that we need more gig economy regulation? November 26, 2019 Is Uber’s loss of its London licence evidence that we need more gig economy regulation? John McCallion, chief executive officer of GroundScope, says YES. Transport for London has quite rightly decided not to grant Uber a licence to operate in London — just as many other cities around the world have done. Every city needs [...]
IoD urges regional focus in business manifesto November 15, 2019 A blitz of investment incentives and a focus on turbocharging regional growth should be at the heart of the next government’s priorities, a leading business group has urged this morning. The Institute of Directors (IoD) has called for regions to be given their own funding pots and cabinet meetings as part of a wider decentralisation [...]
What is IR35? Everything you need to know about the tax coming to the private sector November 6, 2019 After rolling out into the public sector in April 2017, HMRC’s controversial IR35 tax is set to hit private sector contractors in 2020. And it promises to cost workers a big chunk of change: one estimate suggests contractors could pay 25 per cent more in tax. Self-employed contractors are now grappling with the legislation, which [...]
IR35: ‘Damaging’ tax changes set to hit self-employed workers July 11, 2019 Self-employed workers face paying controversial new taxes from next year as part of a measure that is set to rake in more than £3bn for the taxman. New ‘off-payroll’ rules to tax sole traders as employees if their working arrangement are deemed to be akin to regular staff will likely hit roughly 170,000 private sector [...]
IR35: Campaigners welcome delay to private sector tax shake-up, but say business costs will increase October 29, 2018 Industry experts welcomed the chancellor’s decision to delay a tax clampdown on self-employed private sector workers today, but claimed it would still hurt businesses when it is introduced. Changes that seek to tax off-payroll workers as full-time employees won’t hit the private sector until April 2020, Philip Hammond announced in his autumn Budget, after a [...]
What can we expect from a pre-Brexit Annual Budget? October 24, 2018 The Budget is the biggest date in the UK’s financial calendar where the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, will deliver the government’s plans for tax and spending for the 2019/2020 financial year, starting in April next year. The Budget is a little unconventional this year as it usually falls on a Wednesday, but all you trick-or-treaters will [...]
Transport for London (TfL) Tube repair work delayed due to exodus of agency workers after IR35 tax changes October 16, 2017 Work on a critical London Underground programme repairing Bakerloo Line trains has been delayed due to an exodus of agency workers in the wake of tax changes earlier this year. Transport for London (TfL) has admitted that “a significant number” of vital employees left TfL as a result of IR35 changes, revised tax legislation affecting [...]
Changes to agency contracts could push out temporary Transport for London workers January 24, 2017 Transport for London (TfL) is set for a backlash against its plans to stop using temporary workers who operate through limited companies. Critics have said the plan will deprive TfL of talent in key areas, with the potential to throw crucial engineering projects off track. TfL has contacted over 2,000 agency staff asking them to sign [...]