IR35 - do most avoid it? Also SQL Server skills - are they in demand?

[max]

I suppose afterall tax is spent on things that are useful to us such as the NHS, education, protection (police, army) so it is not really "wasted" money.

Funny.

[kingshuk]

An intelligent guess has put the tax derived from IR35 at a few hundred million pa, well under the original estimate of £900m. Because HMRC are not hailing it as a success, we can be fairly sure that it is barely economic to continue it.

Based on one of THEPUMA's earlier post its also very difficult (for the IR) to get the money back even after a win. But still it exists. Its a shame that outside the contractor circle its such a low profile thing. None of the major parties have anything interesting to say about IR35. But it probably affects almost as many people as IHT.

[KevinS]

In the last issue of Freelancing Matters, there was a short article about the Conservative Competitiveness policy group stating that abolishing IR35 should become party policy. I contacted our local Tory candidate and asked him whether this would actually become Tory party policy. He gave me a typically politicians answer of "We are actively campaigning to have this legislation abolished and will continue to campaign to have it abolished".. Not exactly policy then..

[malvolio]

In the last issue of Freelancing Matters, there was a short article about the Conservative Competitiveness policy group stating that abolishing IR35 should become party policy. I contacted our local Tory candidate and asked him whether this would actually become Tory party policy. He gave me a typically politicians answer of "We are actively campaigning to have this legislation abolished and will continue to campaign to have it abolished".. Not exactly policy then..

Sounds like a policy to me. At least he understood the question.