Have you written to your MP yet?

[mudskipper]

With all the crap that's being thrown at us, we need to get our MPs thinking about this.

So have you written to yours?

You can find him/her here.

Poll to follow...

[v8gaz]

If not, why the hell not?

[TykeMerc]

If not, why the hell not?

Because most MP's will take the party or department line and the majority would rather be seen french kissing a dead donkey than get involved supporting people that could be termed as engaged in tax avoidance which is being tarred as evasion.

I guess it's a suggestion that's come from IPSE forums, but without context or at least a suggested outline text I doubt more than 3% of CUK posters would compose something to engage their MP to then get a formulaic response.

[mudskipper]

Because most MP's will take the party or department line and the majority would rather be seen french kissing a dead donkey than get involved supporting people that could be termed as engaged in tax avoidance which is being tarred as evasion.

I guess it's a suggestion that's come from IPSE forums, but without context or at least a suggested outline text I doubt more than 3% of CUK posters would compose something to engage their MP to then get a formulaic response.

That'll be a no then

The danger with an outline text is that it's not personal, and looks like a template.

But it's worth thinking about points that can be included.

3% is better than 0% - it can't do any harm and might even do some good.

[mudskipper]

But it's worth thinking about points that can be included.

So, T&S -

Nature of contracting - staying in temporary digs away from home, often for several months.
Different end of the country for different gigs.
Different treatment to employees of BigCo - gives BigCo an unfair advantage.

IR35 -

Ambiguous and unclear, and proposal does nothing to help.
Examples in guidance daft
Differences between us and employees of clientCo
Making IR35 test different to employment status law.


General -

Effect on businesses if contractors aren't there to provide flexible resource.


Any more?

[DotasScandal]

If not, why the hell not?

I'll tell you, cause we went through a similar exercise with the APN crowd: pure, unadulterated laziness. Coupled with hubris and the belief that "someone else's gonna take care of it".

[Zero Liability]

Any more?

I'd add this:

Why the taxman

Obviously this situation will be even worse now given the new dividend tax. I think this is quite an important issue to look into, because these new measures are making much of the "protected yield", but even the HoL has stated it cannot justify the legislation without these figures being corroborated, which as we know, they have not been. I don't think this is the only argument against the proposed reforms, or indeed the measure itself, but given that this proposal is driven by the Treasury, surely it should be of interest whether the assumed "protected yield" figure has any basis in reality whatsoever.

[cojak]

Having seen how effective the NTRT campaign was, no I haven't.

[centurian]

Coded response from Tory MPs - "Well we said we'd crack down on tax avoidance - or did you think we meant all tax avoiders apart from you"

Coded response from Labour MPs - "Serves the Tory voters right, but consider yourself lucky - we'd have slammed you even harder"

Coded response from SNP MPs - "You should have voted Yes - and then everything would have been dunky dory"

Coded response from LibDem MPs - who cares, there's hardly any of them left.

[eek]

Having seen how effective the NTRT campaign was, no I haven't.

Knowing my mp it would be utterly pointless. So I'll speak to a few others instead