Conservatives IR35 Review
IPSE are trumpeting a promised Conservatives IR35 in their latest press release. For older contractors this is deja vu from the 2010 election when the Conservatives promised IPSE verbally that they would abolish IR35.
They had a review of IR35 in their Manifesto which said that they would ‘look at’ IR35 again.
IPSE, or the PCG in those days, were cock-a-hoop (strange expression) and rushed out a Press Release saying this.
Questions on Conservatives IR35 Review
- What did the Conservatives do about their promise to contractors?
- What are the Conservatives Promising Contractors this time?
- What Difference will the Conservatives IR35 Review Promise make this time?
- What Percentage of Contractors do the Conservatives Believe are IR35 Compliant?
- What Prediction Do We Make This Time About the Conservatives IR35 Review Promise?
What did the Conservatives do about their promise to contractors
When they did get in their verbal reassurances were not worth the paper they were written on.
As for their written Manifesto promise they did indeed carry out that promise.
They did ‘look at’ IR35 again. They liked it so much they decided to keep it. Indeed they said they would strengthen it and they have been doing so ever since.
What are the Conservatives Promising Contractors this time
Once again, just prior to an election IPSE have rushed out another press release.
It says “IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has welcomed Sajid Javid’s commitment to review the changes to IR35”.
Andy Chamberlain goes on to say “This will be welcome news to freelancers across the UK.
Labour and the Lib Dems have made the same ‘review’ commitment.
Andy goes on to say that the parties must go further and promise to stop the 2020 implementation of he Conservative Party’s IR35 reforms.
One thinks of the old Who song “We don’t get fooled again.”
What Difference will the Conservatives IR35 Review Promise make this time
Does anyone really think that a review by Boris and Sajid will be any different from last time?
Let’s see what they said in the Queen’s speech a few weeks ago.
“We will increase fairness and and flexibility in the labour market by stopping employers and workers experiencing significantly different outcomes from flexible forms of working.”
Can anyone guess who they are talking about and what that means?
What Percentage of Contractors do the Conservatives Believe are IR35 Compliant
Add in Treasury Minister Jess Norman saying recently when answering a question in Parliament on IR35 “There is only 10% compliance in this area”.
One presumes he, Boris and Sajid intend to make the other 90% ‘compliant’ too. After all these years of IR35 they still believe that only one in ten contractors are compliant with IR35.
They were planning a Budget on November 12th to implement this. They cancelled it because of the election. However there will be a Budget on December 19th if they win the election.
There would have to have been some Damoscene conversion between now and then for them to decide that they were scrapping the IR35 reforms.
Above is what they really believe. The review will be a sham.
What Prediction Do We Make This Time About the Conservatives IR35 Review Promise
I predicted before the 2010 election that the PCG (now IPSE) were being taken for fools That was absolutely correct.
I now predict again that this Conservatives IR35 review promise is a sham too. They have policemen, nurses etc to pay for and the cost of Brexit will eat into their Budget.
And we know they are planning something else for us from the Queen’s Speech.
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