Reply to: Not so disguised employees

[JohntheBike]

Hmm smells of a hush up - Maybe I'll share this thread with Private Eye - they are good at exposing scandals...

exactly, and many on here should wake up to the politics of the issues surrounding IR35 and use those politics to continue fighting it.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Or its's simply HMRC sticking to their policy that people's tax affairs are strictly confidential and will not be publicised...?

I wasn't expecting any comment from HMRC - but it's odd that such a high profile case has gone so quiet - a picture of her sad-faced at her plight in the Yorkshire Post or Daily Heil next to a for sale sign or something..........unless the BBC has quietly coughed up....

[malvolio]

Hmm smells of a hush up - Maybe I'll share this thread with Private Eye - they are good at exposing scandals...

Or its's simply HMRC sticking to their policy that people's tax affairs are strictly confidential and will not be publicised...?

[technobabble]

Hushed

However, I've heard of no actual examples at all of how the issue was handled.

Hmm smells of a hush up - Maybe I'll share this thread with Private Eye - they are good at exposing scandals...

[JohntheBike]

Ackroyd's case was based on past income - my point was that having lost and lost the appeal there has been no news on what she did about it.

It is arguable that the BBC should have coughed up as they were the instigators of the arrangement (presumably on the basis of them saving ERs NI) - but they can't really do that without risk of people getting annoyed at that use of the licence fee.

I suppose it's just prurient interest on my part, but I'd love to know if HMRC has been paid yet, and by whom.

my point was that having lost and lost the appeal there has been no news on what she did about it.

agreed. But I haven't heard of any other examples of how the back tax was paid or not. It has been posted that the liability for the back tax rested with the contractor's company. I would guess that faced with a large bill, most would liquidate their companies, thus denying HMRC the back tax. However, I've heard of no actual examples at all of how the issue was handled.

[malvolio]

I am thinking of sending in a public interest request, asking how many presenters have arrangements like that, bet there are stacks of them...

It's not just presenters. I know seven people who work behind the camera in various roles: to a man (and one woman) they were binned as permies and told to go contracting ten or more years ago. And only three of them were with the BBC.

[technobabble]

public interest

I am thinking of sending in a public interest request, asking how many presenters have arrangements like that, bet there are stacks of them...

[vetran]

HMRC has some very very expensive lawyers - and still they keep losing.

expensive != Good

[Peoplesoft bloke]

However it is not really an issue them using PSCs if both Vine and Ackroyd are working inside IR35. Given the £400k is quoted as being taxable income, it would seem they are.

Ackroyd's case was based on past income - my point was that having lost and lost the appeal there has been no news on what she did about it.

It is arguable that the BBC should have coughed up as they were the instigators of the arrangement (presumably on the basis of them saving ERs NI) - but they can't really do that without risk of people getting annoyed at that use of the licence fee.

I suppose it's just prurient interest on my part, but I'd love to know if HMRC has been paid yet, and by whom.

[malvolio]

However it is not really an issue them using PSCs if both Vine and Ackroyd are working inside IR35. Given the £400k is quoted as being taxable income, it would seem they are.

[Zigenare]

And a huge amount of money.

That they treat as their own.

How much was Watkin Gittins paid in compensation after the HMRC debacle on the Isle of Man?

HMRC does not calculate the cost of specific criminal investigations and FOIA does not require public authorities to create new information. To the extent that any case-specific cost information is held for any case, it would generally be the position that it would require a high degree of skill and judgement (and potentially time) to assemble such information into meaningful figures.

[NotAllThere]

HMRC has some very very expensive lawyers

And a huge amount of money.

[JohntheBike]

I've been wondering what happened to Christa Ackroyd - have the BBC quietly paid her back NI and penalties for her?

At the time I saw a report saying she'd have to sell her house.

It's all gone quiet.

Quite! It's interesting to note that none of those BBC presenters who have fallen foul of IR35 have taken their cases to the ET, which would be the obvious (to me) route to avoid having to pay the tax. The ET outcome would be employed or self employed and in neither case would the tax be due. Clearly either judgement would be a serious issue for the BBC. So I guess this has all been kept quiet and brushed under the carpet.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

more likely a better legal team than HMRC can afford?

HMRC has some very very expensive lawyers - and still they keep losing.

[vetran]

more likely a better legal team than HMRC can afford?