The latest news affecting umbrella companies in the UK. Featuring HMRC, the Agency Workers Directive, the 2003 Agency Regulations, and IR35.
Contractors may be interested to learn that the latest Employment Outlook Survey from Manpower predicts that hiring will increase slightly in Q2. The survey reveals that the seasonally adjusted net outlook for employment is +2%.
Female IT workers thinking about becoming contractors have some food for thought after the MD of Women in Technology, Maggie Berry, commented that the sector was still very much male dominated.
During the Conservative Party’s spring conference last weekend, George Osborne said the government planned to reintroduce Enterprise Zones.
Contractors may want to take the advice of the Nationwide and use their ISA tax relief allowance for this year before it runs out.
It will probably come as no surprise to umbrella company contractors to learn that complaints against HMRC have increased dramatically over the last couple of years.
The OTS has now identified 47 out of 1,042 tax reliefs that could be abolished and a further 17 that could be simplified. It’s long awaited report was published last Thursday.
The government needs to concentrate on prioritising economic stability in this month’s budget, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. A call that is also likely to be endorsed by umbrella company contractors.
IT umbrella company contractors should have been amongst those to benefit from an upsurge in demand for their services in recent months.
Contractors who have been used to public sector working will need to learn private sector language if they become victims of the government spending cuts.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland has claimed that HMRC’s proposals to check SME and umbrella company record keeping are flawed.
The next four years will see employers paying out an additional £23.87 billion due to new employment laws, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.
You may think God is on your side but he doesn’t give job references!
The latest ONS statistics show that levels of staff sickness absence have reverted to pre-recession levels. Before the economic crisis, 2.5% of respondents said they had taken a day off in the 7 days prior to the survey.
The government has confirmed that deferred bonuses will not fall under its new tough tax avoidance regulations.
The latest ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence monitor shows that business confidence is weakening but the economy is slowly improving.
There is a North-South divide when it comes to hiring intentions, according to the latest quarterly survey of entrepreneurs conducted by RSM Tenon, the professional services firm.
