Will contracting go out with a bang or a whimper?

[northernladuk]

Has anybody had any direct corresponsance from their accountants yet?

It's all very well people saying that 'contractors have got their heads in the sand' but surely we need to hear something concrete & not just predict the end is nigh.

I'm with SJD & have heard nothing at all from them. I'd hope they'd be on the ball as much as anybody else.

Well it's all still up in the air and in consultation so communication from accountant could just look like scare mongering and not be very helpful. When there is something concrete I am sure we will be hearing from them.

[BigRed]

I think it would be a fair split if the BAU contracts were classed as Inside, and the specific project/programme roles with a specific programme duration (even if that was multiyear) contracts were outside. Fairly sure this is too simple though.

So the developers are ok then I'm production support DBA which is superficially BAU, but are upgrades BAU, performance tuning, implementing best practices, revamping the DR strategy? Most of my roles are BAU plus something extra. Isn't development BAU, especially in an Agile environment, so is fixing bugs.

I'm sure my contracts can be reworded to make them more project oriented, there is no easy answer.

[northernladuk]

So the developers are ok then I'm production support DBA which is superficially BAU, but are upgrades BAU, performance tuning, implementing best practices, revamping the DR strategy? Most of my roles are BAU plus something extra. Isn't development BAU, especially in an Agile environment, so is fixing bugs.

I'm sure my contracts can be reworded to make them more project oriented, there is no easy answer.

I think the answer here is easier that most other cases IMO.

[cojak]

You could always join a 90% scheme.

Sorry, I'll get my coat.

Oh I'm sure some will DR, that's much more rewarding from a HMRC pov.

[pjt]

There isn't anything concrete for anyone to get their head around - son of IR35 is currently under discussion at HMRC and, although the consultation on T&S is finished we won't know anything for certain until the Autumn statement on 25th November

Does anyone have any idea what the normal outcome of these consultations are? I'm assuming most go through as planned. Or do HMRC actually take any notice and drop\amend some depending on the feedback they receive?

Basically what are peoples thoughts on the proposals being rubber stamped? I'm assuming the chances must be pretty high!

[cojak]

..and we return full circle by going back to my first post

...or are things rarely as good or as bad as they first appear?

I'm just wondering about the consequences of the April tax changes going though virtually as-is. Let's face it - all of this consultation is so much window-dressing fluff. Lobbying by non-party-donating stakeholders in the recent past has been completely ignored.

What will happen to contractors, accountants, legitimate umbrellas, agencies and clients? And will those consequences happen over night or will it take a year or 2 to have an effect?

Or will things generally stay as they are?

I think that many contractors will go back to permiedom. Those in contracting will restrict themselves to contracts within commuting distance, or the day rate will be such that they'll take the hit but with a much depleted day rate.

[BlasterBates]

I thought employment taxes in Switzerland were much lower overall (esp. higher rates) and taxation of dividends much higher relative to the UK(?) Unless there's a material difference in tax positions, you're unlikely to get people incorporating primarily for tax purposes. Other points of comparison are Canada and Oz in that they both introduced strict deeming criteria to discourage incorporation for tax purposes (due to a large tax gap)...

It's not tax it's "Insurance", actually the deductions are pretty hefty indeed. It includes, unemployment, state public pension and state "private pension".

You used to be able to extract the "state private pension" relatively easily but the rules have changed, and it now stays in Switzerland until you're almost dead, attracting a pitiful amount of interest.

There is however a loophole, which I successfully exploited you leave Switzerland and take 3 months off, you then get the authorities to send a letter that you're not paying National Insurance, and then they pay it out.....

Taxes do depend on where you live and work so they can vary.

[Pherlopolus]

So the developers are ok then I'm production support DBA which is superficially BAU, but are upgrades BAU, performance tuning, implementing best practices, revamping the DR strategy? Most of my roles are BAU plus something extra. Isn't development BAU, especially in an Agile environment, so is fixing bugs.

I'm sure my contracts can be reworded to make them more project oriented, there is no easy answer.

Is it a three year programme to implement a new solution following an acquisition or pursuit? 12 months to gather requirements for a new solution? 6 months of coding for a new solution?

My thoughts would be unless you are Architecting/designing/implementing the Database solution it is BAU. I would include a contract to support a 5 yearly technology refresh as NOT BAU, but the intervening support of the live system (revamping, best practices etc) would be BAU.

[jamesbrown]

Does anyone have any idea what the normal outcome of these consultations are?

They listen to stuff that might help them increase their tax take and ignore everything else Take the omission of PSCs from the original T&S discussion document, for example...

[jamesbrown]

It's not tax it's "Insurance", actually the deductions are pretty hefty indeed. It includes, unemployment, state public pension and state "private pension".

You used to be able to extract the "state private pension" relatively easily but the rules have changed, and it now stays in Switzerland until you're almost dead, attracting a pitiful amount of interest.

There is however a loophole, which I successfully exploited you leave Switzerland and take 3 months off, you then get the authorities to send a letter that you're not paying National Insurance, and then they pay it out.....

Taxes do depend on where you live and work so they can vary.

What was the change exactly (e.g. a link or something to Google)?