Reply to: Email address to report dodgy umbrella schemes

[TykeMerc]

To be fair no matter when you started using a scheme, you must have considered that there was/is an element of risk that HMRC would not only shut it down, but do their damnedest to find fault with the approach.

You would have to be astoundingly naive to have believed that you were untouchable when paying so little tax on a large income.

While I object deeply to the retrospective alterations of badly worded tax law, I have limited sympathy for people that used multiple schemes and absolutely none for anyone stupid enough to sign up for one in the last 7 or so years.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

still not funny......

On a cheerier note - one scheme offered me a £1,500 incentive to join last week. They're getting desperate, they're dying.

Whatever you may think about the Finance Bill 2014 - it has destroyed contractor avoidance schemes. They're totally starved of oxygen.

I think I might laugh at anyone joining one now though......

£1500 That really is desperation!!

[jbryce]

yeah.....

No, of course it isn't. However, when faced with 9 years of people saying they are a very bad idea...

still not funny......

On a cheerier note - one scheme offered me a £1,500 incentive to join last week. They're getting desperate, they're dying.

Whatever you may think about the Finance Bill 2014 - it has destroyed contractor avoidance schemes. They're totally starved of oxygen.

I think I might laugh at anyone joining one now though......

[malvolio]

it's really, really, really not that funny.........

No, of course it isn't. However, when faced with 9 years of people saying they are a very bad idea...

[jbryce]

Schadenfreude

We've been pointing and laughing for years.

it's really, really, really not that funny.........

[cojak]

We've been pointing and laughing for years.

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...ml#post1549849

[jbryce]

Don't forget he asked for a really condescending post so I gave him one.

Fair point

It might be that I'm incredibly cynical

Cynical maybe, but at least you aren't getting kicked across the park by HMRC.

Seriously though - people are getting out of the schemes. Everyone knows someone being impacted by this. If this all stops at DOTAS, and kills all the schemes off as a side product - great. Worse case there will be another round of contractors hit by the next wave - and I'd really not wish this on them.

Let HMRC do some proactive work.

[eek]

a tad unfair.....some, many, where recommended this, by their accountant, as a pain free alternative to IR35. I'm a fantastic techie and, was, naive as to the vagaries of tax etc. I trusted my accountant, he trusted the law.

I guess the lesson here is that if you choose to be a contractor you need to be good at your profession, have your eyes wide open and also accept that the executive will alter the rules. It's not personal. We're an easy target.

F*** - it's been a painful lesson.

Don't forget he asked for a really condescending post so I gave him one.

The thing is that I've always been far more comfortable with IR35 than trusting a "tax expert" and their dodgy scheme. It might be that I'm incredibly cynical or it may be that I dealt with Tax Accountants during my year off before uni but I really don't trust people playing intellectual games with my money.

[BrilloPad]

F*** - it's going to be a painful lesson.

FTFY

[BrilloPad]

I thought this was a professional forum so comments would have been moderated. But since the gloves are off....

HMRC have proved themselves incompetent liars who have way way too many powers. Anyone who helps them might as well be helping the Nazis. You are effectively helping to send people to their death - certainly in my case reporting the scheme would have done no good atall and probably made things worse.

If you have an energy trying to make things better then spend it elsewhere. Plenty of charities could do with your help.

As for me, I am now totally f**ked and its just a case of waiting for the end game to play out.

[jbryce]

ouch

So what brought your attention to the pain that these schemes cause people. Gross stupidity or outright greed

a tad unfair.....some, many, where recommended this, by their accountant, as a pain free alternative to IR35. I'm a fantastic techie and, was, naive as to the vagaries of tax etc. I trusted my accountant, he trusted the law.

I guess the lesson here is that if you choose to be a contractor you need to be good at your profession, have your eyes wide open and also accept that the executive will alter the rules. It's not personal. We're an easy target.

F*** - it's been a painful lesson.

[TheDandy]

So what brought your attention to the pain that these schemes cause people. Gross stupidity or outright greed

A brown envelope on the doormat.

[eek]

It's been a while since you posted a really condescending post.
I was starting to be worried...

So what brought your attention to the pain that these schemes cause people. Gross stupidity or outright greed

[cojak]

It's been a while since you posted a really condescending post.
I was starting to be worried...

You're a late comer to the party - we've been at this since 2005...

[DotasScandal]

In my case, to save the idiots who join these schemes from themselves...

It's been a while since you posted a really condescending post.
I was starting to be worried...