Churchill Knight & Boox clients being investigated as Managed Service Companies

[GregRickshaw]

So they should have effectively put themselves out of business for something that may not materialise into anything? would you?

What?

I would hope I would be honest with my end clients to deliver what they had paid for and to make them aware of anything which my business is impacted by which may put their own business at risk. Even if it meant a risk to my revenue yes I hundred per cent would.

I also would hope my accountants had business risk built into their own models!

As far as I know CK and Boox both have umbrella offerings so they are hardly going out of business any time soon.

[Fred Bloggs]

Telling you what three years ago?

Their business model is no different from many other accountants out there. I expect the likes of InniAccounts, Clever Accounts, and all the others with their own portals are swallowing hard at the moment and keeping a keen eye on things.

(And let’s not get started with those ‘flex’ arrangement that allow you to ‘move seamlessly between Ltd and umbrella’.)

Absolutely. Well said. Those customised portals and the "we do everything for you" sales pitches were always a very bad idea. And now it seems Hector thinks so too. The only thing that surprises me, is how long it took to happen. I still cannot believe that anyone who demonstrates quite clearly that all they paid for and received was vanilla book keeping has anything much to worry about. It doesn't automatically follow that what Hector wants actually happens.

Those limited companies who paid for the higher levels of "we do everything for you" service and perhaps flipped between in and out of IR35 should be worried.

[GregRickshaw]

But they weren’t, (and are still not?), ‘being investigated’. Some of their clients had received enquiries from HMRC around this and they had assisted in their capacity as accountants.

Again what? They are being investigated not the end clients a quick Google search will give you this answer. You could argue the investigation is over and the results have been delivered I suppose, but why would CK and Boox tell us only when the investigation is over and not when it started.

The end clients have all be caught and found 'guilty' pending investigations/appeals by association with the MSCP.

Not sure what you mean really the investigation into whether CK and Boox were MSCP started at least three years ago. From those investigations they and us have been caught.

[Hareforthebear]

As far as I know CK and Boox both have umbrella offerings so they are hardly going out of business any time soon.

Boox do not have an ‘umbrella offering’, they are accountants.

[DealorNoDeal]

So they should have effectively put themselves out of business for something that may not materialise into anything? would you?

Well, it's the sort of thing I've seen from dodgy scheme providers over the past two decades ie. no need for clients to know that HMRC are sniffing around.

[GregRickshaw]

Boox do not have an ‘umbrella offering’, they are accountants.

Begs the question why they have ended up in bother then doesn't it?

[Hareforthebear]

Begs the question why they have ended up in court then doesn't it?

Sorry which court have they ended up in? I must have missed this.

[GregRickshaw]

Sorry which court have they ended up in? I must have missed this.

You seem to have missed a lot and there's really no need to be so pedantic you know exactly what I mean.

[Hareforthebear]

Well, it's the sort of thing I've seen from dodgy scheme providers over the past two decades ie. no need for clients to know that HMRC are sniffing around.

Yeah fair enough. I’m not trying to stick up for them, just trying to see it from their side. Initially I had an entirely different perspective towards them on it, but being able to pick up the little bits and pieces along the way (largely from what others have posted here), I have changed my mind on it a bit.

[Hareforthebear]

You seem to have missed a lot and there's really no need to be so pedantic you know exactly what I mean.

It’s not pedantry. The specific details very much matter.