Watch out for IR35, the tax rule that could ruin your business January 31, 2020 If you haven’t yet heard of IR35, the controversial tax rule, it’s time to start learning. The rule, designed to limit tax avoidance through “disguised employment”, already means that off-payroll workers who would otherwise be deemed directly employed are taxed at the same rate as employees. But from April the law changes: it will be [...]
Thanks to improving tech, tax collectors are no longer the bad guys January 31, 2020 “If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street. If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat. If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.” Thus warbled four rockstars from Merseyside. As rebellious as it was melodic, Taxman would become the first track on [...]
Guru or Svengali? Dominic Cummings is at risk of becoming the story, not the adviser January 31, 2020 Civil service reform does not usually make headline news — unless, it seems, it is proposed by Dominic Cummings. The Prime Minister’s adviser is on a mission to shake up Whitehall. He’s determined to change how it makes decisions and bring in “weirdos and misfits” with expertise in data science and IT. Classic Dom. He [...]
This marks the start of a brave new post-Brexit future January 30, 2020 Tonight at 11 o’clock, as the Brexit countdown clock ticks to zero, I will be toasting the moment with a bottle of Brexit Beer, produced by my friend and fellow Leave campaigner Jon Moynihan. My toast won’t be to winning the Referendum or Getting Brexit Done. Rather, it will be a toast to the future, [...]
I confronted our bureaucratic tax system — and lost January 30, 2020 “Tax doesn’t have to be taxing,” claim the helpful ducks on the HMRC adverts that urge people to file their self-assessment returns by the deadline of midnight tomorrow. As anyone who has been through the rigmarole of painstakingly filling in a return that always results in a higher-than-expected calculation, the reality is somewhat different. Filing [...]
DEBATE: Are technology companies a threat to central banks? January 30, 2020 Are technology companies a threat to central banks? Bhavin Patel, head of fintech research at OMFIF, says YES. Tech companies are rapidly developing solutions to overcome shortfalls in the monetary system and proving flexible in tailoring their services to converge with consumer trends. Wide-scale adoption of privately-issued digital coins is growing more probable, particularly in [...]
Shaun Bailey: What will London look like when we leave the EU? January 30, 2020 We are leaving the EU tomorrow and, despite the mixed feelings surrounding this new chapter, there is much to be cheerful about. Business leaders are already expressing a newly-restored confidence in London. A raft of new information — such as the latest Deloitte CFO optimism survey, key PMI figures, household and consumer confidence data — [...]
Cyber success is vital to the UK’s future January 30, 2020 From the Bletchley Park codebreakers to Tim Berners-Lee and the invention of the World Wide Web, the UK has a rich heritage of computing technologies. We see this pedigree coming through in our cyber businesses. Take Darktrace, the UK’s first cyber firm valued at over £1bn, which is changing the way businesses protect critical data [...]
City will be caught up in the Brexit fish fight January 30, 2020 Last night, the European Parliament ratified the UK’s withdrawal agreement. After years of torturous wrangling following the Brexit referendum, MEPs delivered the final moment of theatre — complete with a rather touching rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Though the general message was one of friendship and enduring bonds, nobody should be in any doubt that a [...]
HS2 is not just another transport project — it’s about the very bones of our economy. January 30, 2020 Over the coming weeks, the government will publish at last the Oakervee report into HS2. The review looks likely to give the green light to this massive investment in the infrastructure of the north and the Midlands — and it’s certain that there will be an almighty row about it. As always with any infrastructure [...]