If you think IR35 is a heap of poo...

[Mich the Tester]

DutchNews.nl - Tax office to get tough on 'fake freelancers' in healthcare, IT, building

[vetran]

DutchNews.nl - Tax office to get tough on 'fake freelancers' in healthcare, IT, building

To qualify as a freelancer, which has generous tax breaks attached, a person needs to have at least three clients and can show they will work a given number of hours. - See more at: DutchNews.nl - Tax office to get tough on 'fake freelancers' in healthcare, IT, building

That looks like its measurable, no Duck opinions needed.

[Mich the Tester]

That looks like its measurable, no Duck opinions needed.

Yep, but the criteria that are applied to industrial IT are exactly the same as those applied to, for example, web development and exactly the same as are applied to healthcare, edjumakayshun, personal training and so on. In industry you might do projects that last a couple of years, a long way from home, and then move to the next factory somewhere else. I think the trouble is they're trying to protect a social security system that was built up in the 40s and 50s and just isn't suited to modern working.

[scooterscot]

The best protection against this tosh is two jobs.

[Mich the Tester]

The best protection against this tosh is two jobs.

Yep, or the alternative is to work via a temp agency, pay the employee social security contributions, and sign on and string out the dole between contracts, doing some courses to get ready for the next gig.

The more they tax me, the less I will work.

[scooterscot]

Managed to keep 2-3 clients on the books at any one time throughout the past three years. Some of course pay more than others. And can be stressing when all demand my full-time attention. But in return the state leaves us alone :O)

[Mich the Tester]

Managed to keep 2-3 clients on the books at any one time throughout the past three years. Some of course pay more than others. And can be stressing when all demand my full-time attention. But in return the state leaves us alone :O)

So have I, and so have most freelancers here, but the misleading bit in the story is that it looks like that's the main criteria; it isn't, there are lots more and there's also the rather subjective judgment of a tax official (who are well known for not knowing what they're doing over here), and of course politics. All this has bugger all to do with 'fake freelancers', but a lot to do with an indebted, unsustainable, bloated government that is scratching around for money anywhere it thinks it can find it.

[scooterscot]

I'm not sure what else you could do to define yourself as a bonafide freelancer. Multiple jobs, own office, occasionally visiting clients on-site.

Small businesses like ourselves I'd have thought would receive greater protection here in Germany than the NL.

[Mich the Tester]

I'm not sure what else you could do to define yourself as a bonafide freelancer. Multiple jobs, own office, occasionally visiting clients on-site.

Small businesses like ourselves I'd have thought would receive greater protection here in Germany than the NL.

Is that so? If so then I'm moving.

[OwlHoot]

Yep, or the alternative is to work via a temp agency, pay the employee social security contributions, and sign on and string out the dole between contracts, doing some courses to get ready for the next gig.

The more they tax me, the less I will work.

With those conditions, another alternative would be for at least three IT consultants to club together as directors of the same service company and each undertake contracts as before through that company, so each can justly claim they have at least three clients at a time.

I suppose the only potential snag is the decision to take a dividend, and the dividend amounts if the income bought in by directors is not equal, unless their share proportions are constantly juggled to allow unequal dividend payments.