May / 6
The government has responded to the findings of the Lords inquiry into off-payroll working, which found the IR35 reforms to be flawed, unfair and in need of a complete overhaul. The report detailed more than 29 issues with the off-payroll legislation, urging the government to consider the great burden it placed on businesses and the
Read More
May / 5
Last week the government have announced a major expansion of coronavirus testing to help those who need it the most. Anyone in England with symptoms of coronavirus who has to leave home to go to work, and all symptomatic members of the public aged 65 and over, will now be eligible to be tested. This
Read More
Apr / 29
The House of Lords Finance Bill Sub-Committee’s report on Off-payroll working was published on Monday 27th April. Launched at the beginning of February, the Lords investigation took a wider line of inquiry than the Treasury’s official IR35 review. During many hearings, the committee heard damning evidence of the widespread damage that the reforms have caused,
Read More
Apr / 22
In light of the Covid-19 crisis, HMRC has written to a number of taxpayers and businesses under investigation to say they are suspending their IR35 enquiries. The correspondence says that during the current lockdown, HMRC will not request information or press for responses to existing requests. It’s thought that HMRC are experiencing capacity issues while
Read More
Apr / 21
Last week, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that the lockdown would be extended for ‘at least’ three weeks, while Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries previously warned that measures could last up to six months. With many businesses putting projects on indefinite hold, contractors may find themselves unable to work in their usual industry.
Read More
Apr / 16
A new government scheme will protect contingent workers in the public sector if they can’t work during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government announced details of the scheme, which will apply if a public sector contractor is prevented from working due to temporary office closure, sickness or isolation. The scheme seeks to safeguard critical public sector
Read More
Apr / 9
A new Counter Disinformation Cell led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is coordinating an extensive crackdown on the rapid spread of false coronavirus information. Made up of experts from across government and the tech sector, the Cell is engaging with social media platforms and with ‘disinformation’ specialists to respond to misleading
Read More
Apr / 3
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
Read More
Mar / 31
Following accusations that the self-employed were being left out in the cold during the Covid-19 epidemic, the government has responded with new measures to protect this sector. On March 26th, the Chancellor announced news of the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which see the relief on offer to the self-employed achieve parity with that offered to
Read More