IR35 - IT only or all contractors and am I self-employed?

[pscont]

IPSE (and Abbey Tax) are prepared to put up a fight and challenge HMRC, often that's all that's needed for HMRC to move onto easier pickings.

All good but doesn't answer my question. Or it does but the answer is:

We get ~£200 to assess your contract. If we say it is outside and then HMRC challenges this we will put up a fight* (whatever that means) and if we loose the fight you pay the retro tax + NIC

*-read also the small print when we will NOT put up a fight.

[Cirrus]

IPSE (and Abbey Tax) are prepared to put up a fight and challenge HMRC, often that's all that's needed for HMRC to move onto easier pickings.

Do you have any evidence whatsoever for saying that? If so it would be good to share it with us.

[SueEllen]

Do you have any evidence whatsoever for saying that? If so it would be good to share it with us.

QDOS has come on here and said how many cases they have lost.

There have been posters who are members of IPSE who have stated how there tax investigations was just closed.

These you can find on this forum if you search for it.

[Cirrus]

QDOS has come on here and said how many cases they have lost.

There have been posters who are members of IPSE who have stated how there tax investigations was just closed.

These you can find on this forum if you search for it.

That's not what you said.

You can't use QDOS/IPSE experiences because what you said is those who don't use them are worse off. So you can't ask QDOS and IPSE because they probably know diddley squat about the others.

You need a control group.

If you asked everyone reading the Daily Mail on a train whether reading the Daily Mail gets them in on time you really would need to consider whether all the other passengers actually arrived later.

I've watched this space since IR35 and as yet I've never seen any evidence that anybody can predict what the Revenue will do.

I accept that, if you come under attack, using QDOS etc gives you a massive advantage (almost decisive) but that's not anywhere the same as saying anybody knows who is going to get picked on.

It's frustrating (if I'm right that it's just a pure lottery) but it doesn't do anybody any credit if they come on here making statements that they simply cannot back up.

My view after all these years is it's like driving down the M6. You may get totalled but since virtually nobody has ever seen an accident you don't what you're supposed to avoid doing. Most people suck it up but if you are risk averse (and it's a free country) then go by train.