IR35 Articles

IR35, Presenter, Eamonn Holmes, HMRC
marketing | 25 October 2018
/ / /

ITV host Eamonn Holmes is locked in an IR35 legal battle with HMRC.

The ‘This Morning’ presenter told the Mail on Sunday that he is the subject of a HMRC ‘test case’ which could result in him paying £2m in unpaid taxes if he is found to be in breach of IR35 rules.

Freelancers Feeling Inflation More Than Most
marketing | 20 September 2018
/ / / /

Freelancers are feeling the latest inflation rise more than employees, according to the Association for Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE).

The warning for freelancers came after the Office for National Statistics revealed that inflation rose by a higher than expected 2.7% in August.

Measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), this was the highest monthly price increase in six months.

Jordan Marshall, IPSE’s Policy Development Manager said: “Freelancers will be especially hard hit by this jump in inflation not only because, unlike employees, they pick up their own business costs, but also because they travel more to win and work on different contracts. They will particularly feel the effect of the 13.5 per cent jump in air fares, because many of them take up contracts overseas and travel long distances in the UK.

Government seeks views on IR35 non-compliance in the private sector

The government wants to hear from you as part of an attempt to tackle IR35 non-compliance in the private sector.

It comes after changes to IR35 rules in the public sector caused problems public authorities and contractors

Also known as off-payroll working, IR35 rules are designed to stop employees working and paying taxes as if they were contractors.

The rules apply to contractors working through personal service companies who, if they were engaged directly by the company, would effectively be employees.

HMRC Wins IR35 Case against BBC Presenter

HMRC won its first IR35 ruling in seven years, as former BBC presenter Christa Ackroyd lost an appeal covering tax years between 2006/07 and 2012/2013.

In Christa Ackroyd Media (CAM) Ltd vs. Revenue & Customs, HMRC successfully argued that the ‘Look North’ presenter owed more than £400,000 in income tax and National Insurance Contributions.

The win is significant for HMRC because it is the first in a string of IR35 appeals against BBC personalities. 

Budget 2017, IR35, Private sector, Consultation,
marketing | 24 November 2017
/ / /

The Autumn Budget delivered this week by Chancellor Philip Hammond was better than contractors than many had expected.

But it did include details about a consultation to extend dreaded public sector IR35 compliance rules over to the private sector.

This is a notoriously tricky subject, so we have produced a brief guide will all the information you need to know.

Chancellor takes aim at private sector contractors
marketing | 15 October 2018
/ / /

Media reports suggest that the Treasury is planning to overhaul IR35 tax rules with a costly policy for limited company contractors.

The move, which could be announced in this month’s Budget, would see public sector IR35 compliance rules extended to the private sector.

Just like public sector bodies, private firms would be responsible for ensuring that off-payroll personal service company contractors stick to the IR35 rules.

If a firm deems a contractor to be ‘inside-IR35’, the contractor would need to be placed onto the company’s payroll and would be liable to pay higher national insurance contributions.

Private Sector IR35 Could Cost Contractors £14,000
marketing | 19 June 2018
/ / / /

As the government consults on plans to extend IR35 rules to the private sector, self-employment organisation  IPSE claims that the changes could ‘strangle’ contractor living standards.

IPSE claims that the ‘inhibiting, anti-business’ policy could cost contractors an average of £14,000 per year in lost income.

Using average day rate (£430) and average weeks worked (42 weeks per year) figures from IPSE’s Freelancer Confidence Index, they calculate that a contractor’s take home pay will drop significantly.

BBC Presenter Forced to Use PSC
marketing | 10 May 2018
/ / / / /

Joanna Gosling is the latest BBC presenter to complain that the public service broadcaster forced her to operate through a limited company, exposing her to HMRC legal action.

Alongside BBC colleagues David Eades and Tim Willcox, Gosling is appealing against a £920,000 tax bill, which HMRC argues is owed in back income tax and National Insurance contributions.

HMRC claims that the presenters were within the IR35 rules and operating in ‘disguised employment’.

The court heard that the three presenters were “pushed by the BBC” into creating the personal service companies. These companies allowed the corporation to avoid paying employers’ National Insurance contributions and came with very few benefits.

 

HMRC: IR35 Reforms Could Hit Private Sector

Newly released HMRC forum discussion papers suggest that the IR35 reforms that have caused such a headache for contractors in the public sector could be introduced into the private sector as early as April 2019.

In a December meeting, HMRC acknowledged that public sector IR35 changes had fuelled some non-compliance but insisted that addressing ‘an immediate Exchequer risk’ was a main priority.

This indicates that the tax authority plans to speed up proposed changes and bring in more money by addressing IR35 non-compliance in the private sector.

Could treasury extend IR35 reforms to private sector?

Reforms to ‘disguised employment’ IR35 rules were introduced in the public sector this year. The new rules caused confusion amongst recruiters and lead to a take-home pay cut for many contractors.

Now the Treasury has dropped its strongest hint yet that similar reforms could be introduced in the private sector – with the potential to affect millions of contractors and freelancers. 

Pages