How dare the government turn on the self-employed now Twice this week, reports have emerged that the Treasury is considering drastic tax hikes on the self-employed: first, increases in corporation tax (hitting the UK’s 715,000 sole directors of limited companies), and second, the equalisation of self-employed and employee National Insurance Contributions. The justification? The support the self-employed got during coronavirus. Given how many people [...]
The quiet crisis: IR35 and the UK’s forgotten freelancers In a crisis which has shaken so many aspects of our lives, it can be hard to get some issues heard above the noise. News that would once have made headlines seems to slip almost unnoticed under the radar. One such development was the quiet confirmation that changes to IR35 self-employed taxes will come into [...]
DEBATE: Should gig economy workers be given more rights and protections, as John McDonnell suggests? Should gig economy workers be given more rights and protections, as John McDonnell suggests? Brhmie Balaram, senior researcher in the RSA’s Economy, Enterprise and Manufacturing team, says YES. I imagine most people would agree with John McDonnell that it would be desirable to grant gig economy workers more rights. At the same time, they might [...]