End of IT contracting this June?

[PermMCCon]

Well after 22 years as a contractor - I've finally chucked in the towel and gone permie. Well done Hector - I'll let you win this one.

I think you'd be a fool not to expect drastic and damaging changes to happen over the next 18 months to contracting within the UK in all industries. With the political uncertainty in the next couple of years I think I'd rather jump now and move to somewhere I want to go rather than be pushed later on.

The ride was fun whilst it lasted though. Feels a bit weird to not be invoicing every week but I'm sure the paid holidays will ease me through the pain of not feeling elitist and looking down with disdain at the permanent members of staff anymore

For me, the positives of contracting have slowly been ground down and are now outweighed by the negatives, and as for those of you who are going to stand firm and continue, I salute you - but I think the writing is on the wall....

I'm on the same boat, except I did 5 successful / profitable years rather than your 20!!!

I was sitting there in a big bank who was offering me a nice permie package... why the hell not? They are a great bunch and I am thoroughly enjoying the work.

Yes off course I will miss all the Contractor perks, but at the same time I am already enjoying the perks of permiedom (eg no slight uneasiness in the gut re contracts) and all the benefits that come with permiedom with a good company (medical cover, life insurance and a boat load of other benefits I didn't know I needed or existed!).

Contracting is still a perfect fit for some people, but I agree that the "contracting vs permie" divide is getting closer.

[malvolio]

I'm on the same boat, except I did 5 successful / profitable years rather than your 20!!!

I was sitting there in a big bank who was offering me a nice permie package... why the hell not? They are a great bunch and I am thoroughly enjoying the work.

Yes off course I will miss all the Contractor perks, but at the same time I am already enjoying the perks of permiedom (eg no slight uneasiness in the gut re contracts) and all the benefits that come with permiedom with a good company (medical cover, life insurance and a boat load of other benefits I didn't know I needed or existed!).

Contracting is still a perfect fit for some people, but I agree that the "contracting vs permie" divide is getting closer.

I don't - but it all depends on why you went contacting in the first place.

[breaktwister]

We are hired to do a better job than their own staff and to be disposed of as soon as our job is done.

But it is only fair that two people doing the same job should pay the same tax

[v8gaz]

But it is only fair that two people doing the same job should pay the same tax for the same benefits, security and risk

FTFY, assuming you weren't simply having a laugh.

[Yonmons]

But it is only fair that two people doing the same job should pay the same tax

You are trying wind us contractors up with that comment surely !! LOL

[n123]

Lobbying

I see the situation as perfect lobbying by Big Business, Umbrella companies etc.

If contractors are squeezed, they will run either to become permie (win for Big Business, lot of cheap workers around) or to Umbrella companies (No question of IR35, and safe revenue stream). HMRC will be happy as they can collect more tax and penalties by catching and putting everyone into IR35. Big Business has no problem, as it does not have to pay Employers NI, Redundancy tangles, Pension contributions, Bonus, Promotion, Holiday, Maternity, Shares, Medical Insurance, Life Insurance, etc.

As a contractor, one pays Corporation Tax, Dividend Tax, VAT, PAYE (Income Tax and NI - might be lower depending on circumstances). Not to mention other costs like Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability, IPSE membership, IR35 contract reviews/protection, their own medical insurance, pension, self funded holidays etc. ). A permie pays high PAYE (Tax and NI, Employers and Employee contribution), but on low gross. So, in effect, contractor could be paying more in total tax.

So
- if contractors run to Umbrellas, Umbrellas will surely benefit
- if they continue with their current risks, then Big Business are happy to avoid all incidental costs and can get rid of them when they want without redundany, etc. HMRC is happy, as they can always come to bite contractors with retrospective penalties and IR35 claims.
- if contracts run to become permanent, again Big Business is happy to get loads of cheap local labour and HMRC is happy to get all the big PAYE & NI.

Whatever happened to this petition? https://www.change.org/p/uk-governme...ctor-in-the-uk

[cojak]

End of IT contracting this June?

We've seen it and we thought it was a bit rubbish..,

Yep I criticised as poorly written when someone posted it here back in November with about 18 signatures, and I criticised it again yesterday when someone mentioned it was doing the rounds on linkedin.

Personally it makes us look like woe is me, tax evading greedy muppets so I wouldn't sign it if my life depended on it.

Edit: oh, that's a different petition.

Well, good luck with it...

[northernladyuk]

FTFY, assuming you weren't simply having a laugh.

Worse security, benefits and risk should be compensated for commercially, not subsidised by the tax system.

[Cirrus]

Nothing to do with us, sir

Worse security, benefits and risk should be compensated for commercially, not subsidised by the tax system.

Contractors generally get paid a lot more than permies. You could well argue that they are already commercially compensated for the various aspects of freelance work (travel, accommodation, downtime, sickness, pregnancy, holidays etc). The historic tax breaks were icing on the cake but maybe not 'justified' in any sense. As a general point I have never understood why people think if they don't have employee benefits from their clients then they can go round to HMRC and ask them to chip in.

[northernladuk]

Contractors generally get paid a lot more than permies.

Not me. I only get paid 8k a year.