IR35: Time for a Taxpayer Fairness Act

As the comedian Stewart Francis quips: ‘So what if I can’t spell Armageddon? It’s not the end of the world.’ But for UK businesses a recent change in UK tax law is not proving funny. While the so-called ‘IR35 reforms’ (off-payroll working – ITEPA 2003 Ch 10) are not the end of the world it is starting to cause earthquakes in the wider flexible workforce that could considerably weaken the UK economy.

Following reports of some firms banning the use of limited company contractors we are now starting to see similar behaviour in the media sector. One such clue surfaced recently when television presenter and journalist Anne Robinson quit presenting the TV gameshow Countdown because Channel 4 wanted her to ‘go PAYE’ and put her on their payroll. Somewhat odd behaviour considering Anne Robinson has been her own boss for decades along with...