May / 13
Covid-19: Could You Work as a Contact Tracer?
Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently announced a large-scale track and trace programme at a coronavirus daily briefing. The programme will involve the recruitment of some 18,000 contact tracers in an ambitious scheme that is still evolving. Of these 18,000 people, the government has proposed 15,000 call handlers, with 3,000 as trained public health staff
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May / 12
Boris Announces Phased Return to Work Plan
Wednesday 13th May marks the start of the government’s phased Covid-19 recovery strategy as the UK moves into a new “stay alert” phase that also sees the reopening of some key industries. On Sunday, the Prime Minister sketched out a conditional plan for how the country will gradually come out of lockdown, while emphasising the
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Apr / 3
Scammers Piggyback on Covid-19 Crisis
Many public organisations such as HMRC, BBC and FCA are warning of on a surge in scam emails and texts during the Covid-19 panidemic. Con-artists are using the inevitable financial anxiety, disruption and confusion in the midst of the crisis to exploit people’s vulnerability. Many of these scams have been around for a while and
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Mar / 18
Shock Delay to IR35 Reform
In a shock announcement the government has said they will delay the controversial IR35 reforms until 2021. The decision was taken yesterday evening in light of the ongoing spread of Covid-19 in order to help businesses and individuals cope in these difficult times. Steve Barclay, the chief secretary to the Treasury said: “I can also
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Mar / 12
Chancellor Dashes Hopes of IR35 Delay in Spring Budget
Chancellor Rishi Sunak yesterday confirmed plans set out by the Treasury in its recent Off-Payroll review to go ahead with IR35 reform from April 6th. Although no direct reference was made in Sunak’s speech, the Chancellor spoke of “aggressive” steps to tackle perceived tax evasion. However the budget document (2.178) reads: “The government has recently
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Feb / 27
Treasury Confirms IR35 Reforms Will Go Ahead
In January 2020, the Government announced a review of the implementation of the April changes to the off-payroll reforms and their extension into the private sector. The Review, commissioned by then Chancellor Sajid Javid, was limited in scope to ensuring the smooth implementation of the rules by addressing concerns from affected businesses and individuals. This
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Feb / 21
Can HMRC conduct a retrospective investigation if I go inside IR35?
One of the unforeseen consequences of forcing contractors out of their limited companies and onto the payroll is their fear of retrospective action from HMRC. While end-clients apparently assumed that contractors would have little choice but to comply with an inside IR35 status and non-negotiable terms, contractors’ mistrust of HMRC has thrown an additional spanner
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Feb / 12
Government Gives Runaround Response to IR35 Inquiries
Independent bodies representing the recruitment sector have voiced their concerns over the April off-payroll reforms. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), along with leaders from 14 leading recruitment agencies, has written to the Chancellor asking for a delay to the off-payroll rules. Despite the current IR35 review, representatives for the contracting industry are asking the
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Feb / 4
UK Tech Sector Will Take a Knock Over Brexit and IR35
There are warnings that the IR35 reforms will hit the tech sector harder than any other market. The reforms, due to be introduced on April 6th 2020, could heavily affect investment in the tech/IT sector. Most industries are reliant on niche tech skills to keep their IT infrastructure up to date. However, Brexit and the
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Jan / 31
HMRC publish ‘vague’ factsheet instead of response to consultation on draft IR35 legislation
Last week saw the Treasury publish a ‘Factsheet for Contractors’ on its website, leaving many to question what useful purpose the document served. While the government have said thy will release more guidance for contractors on the coming IR35 reforms, the factsheet wasn’t even published on HMRC’s website, meaning that many people looking for IR35
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