IR35: Planning for April 2021 – should I stay or should I go?

[IR35 Lol]

Seems to be quite a lot of hostility which is surprising since I have be polite and simply wanted to share my experience as a fellow contractor.

Clearly this isn't the right place for me, I'll leave you to take each other down.

[eek]

Seems to be quite a lot of hostility which is surprising since I have be polite and simply wanted to share my experience as a fellow contractor.

Clearly this isn't the right place for me, I'll leave you to take each other down.

Your industry is one of the industries that utterly abused IR35 to reduce the risks Wood Group and others took on projects.

I doubt many people here have sympathy when the work you did was never really outside IR35 as the companies clearly knew (because it's now all inside IR35).

[Fred Bloggs]

Your industry is one of the industries that utterly abused IR35 to reduce the risks Wood Group others took on projects.

I doubt many people here have sympathy when the work you did was never really outside IR35 as the companies clearly knew (because it's now all inside IR35).

A bit harsh to single out document control, eek. The vast majority of folks of all disciplines including project management at places like Wood, Jacobs, Bechtel and all the others were always really inside IR35. And we all know why such a high proportion of bums on seats were contractors anyway. In any case, that UK market has virtually died now so it's moot.

[eek]

A bit harsh to single out document control, eek. The vast majority of folks of all disciplines including project management at places like Wood, Jacobs, Bechtel and all the others were always really inside IR35. And we all know why such a high proportion of bums on seats were contractors anyway. In any case, that UK market has virtually died now so it's moot.

If I did single out document control I didn't mean it - I meant everything Wood, Jacobs / Bechtel touched.

I used to wander their offices when Taqa was getting up and running (last time I did anything in that sector) and wonder how on earth is XYZ a contractor it doesn't make any sense.

[Fred Bloggs]

If I did single out document control I didn't mean it - I meant everything Wood, Jacobs / Bechtel touched.

I used to wander their offices when Taqa was getting up and running (last time I did anything in that sector) and wonder how on earth is XYZ a contractor it doesn't make any sense.

I agree.

But the entire industry wouldn't have even existed at scale for the decades that it did without the army of engineering and project management contractors who moved from job to job.

There are a number of reasons that the UK energy projects industry has almost disappeared. IR35 in it's latest form being just one of them, a pretty minor one though.

For the decades where the UK was a world leading centre for engineering some of the biggest energy projects ever built, the benefit to the wider economy was huge.

Alas, the golden goose has died. Both for the contractor and the wider economy.

[eek]

I agree.

But the entire industry wouldn't have even existed at scale for the decades that it did without the army of engineering and project management contractors who moved from job to job.

There are a number of reasons that the UK energy projects industry has almost disappeared. IR35 in it's latest form being just one of them, a pretty minor one though.

For the decades where the UK was a world leading centre for engineering some of the biggest energy projects ever built, the benefit to the wider economy was huge.

Alas, the golden goose has died. Both for the contractor and the wider economy.

There is a lot to be said for people being well paid in return for being completely responsible for their own actions.

The issue is that Employer NI is the easiest tax in the world to increase and the Government doesn't get employer NI when someone isn't an employee.

What we really need to do is fix our system to be sane (with a sane freelancer type scheme) but we won't get that because there is no too much money involved to make changes possible.

[Fred Bloggs]

There is a lot to be said for people being well paid in return for being completely responsible for their own actions.

The issue is that Employer NI is the easiest tax in the world to increase and the Government doesn't get employer NI when someone isn't an employee.

What we really need to do is fix our system to be sane (with a sane freelancer type scheme) but we won't get that because there is no too much money involved to make changes possible.

Yes, totally agree.

Of course though, energy project professionals on between 600 and 800 or more a day were paying huge amounts of tax both indirectly and directly. As well as directly supporting lots of other businesses like car dealerships, builders, financial advisors, accountants etc....... In turn paying more taxes again.

Alas, you're never going to get a sensible policy out of government where independent professionals are the target demographic. Politicians just cannot understand how such a dynamic sector of the economy works. They can't control it. So they have to change it to control it. They tried for ~20 years.

Remember the "glorified typists" and the "it's only fair" era ? Intellectual pygmies.

In the UK energy project sector, the industry meltdown starting in 2014 from which the industry will never recover, coinciding with the energy major's "race to the bottom" had already triggered the end. Add on top the green lobby. Then put the new IR35 on top and you have the situation you see today.

The loss to the economy and the exchequer since 2014 must be many billions. But it's invisible.

It's sad. But honestly, I couldn't give a toss any more. The people get the government they deserve, by and large.