Boris Johnson has announced a UK-wide “health and social care levy” to support reforms of the care sector and NHS funding in England. The new scheme will start as a 1.25% rise in National Insurance from April 2022. However, then become a separate tax on earned income from April 2023.The plan was today signed off by ministers at a cabinet meeting, despite earlier disputes from Tory MPs.The PM has said the aim is to raise a total of £36 billion over the next few years for frontline … [Read more...]
Calls for Universal Credit uplift to be made permanent
Ministers from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have called the UK Government to make the Universal Credit uplift a permanent change.As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government introduced a £20 per week uplift to support low income families. However, this scheme is now set to be scrapped as of October. There are growing concerns about the impact this will have on poverty and the hardship families will face.Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (a charity which … [Read more...]
HMRC issues letters alerting contractors to tax avoidance schemes
The new IR35 Legislation has encouraged more contractors to seek work through umbrella companies. However, the rise of disguised remuneration schemes has now prompted HMRC to act.HMRC have started issuing Tax Avoidance Warning letters directly to contractors, strongly suggesting they may be involved in a DR arrangement or scheme. However, the contractors were likely deceived into signing up as a user, believing they were signing up to a true umbrella company.Are the Revenue using this as … [Read more...]
All you need to know about supply chain compliance
5 months into the IR35 Off-Payroll Legislation, and companies are still facing the effects of these changes. It is now more important than ever to have a good understanding of who you’re working with.Due to the changes, the responsibility of assessing a contractors IR35 status is now down to the end hirer. Making an accurate assessment as part of the compliance process will help avoid any liabilities that could arise from not carrying out this check.The new legislation has meant that … [Read more...]
Starting supply from September? What you need to know
Starting a supply role can be quite daunting and complex when considering your options for having your salary processed.To take the weight off your shoulders, we have put together our top tips for finding a compliant and trustworthy payroll solution.Do not believe everything you read – some articles that have been published online regarding holiday pay and the deductions that payroll providers deduct, are not factually correct. A compliant payroll provider will have staff who specialise … [Read more...]
Government extends Right to Work checks
The UK Government have today announced that the temporary Right to Work checks for employers has been extended until April 2022.Since the national lockdown in March 2020, employers have been able to carry out right to work checks remotely, without having to see any hard copies of documents. The initial checking process meant that job applicants or existing workers were required to send their original documents. This inevitably proved to be challenging when stay at home restrictions were in … [Read more...]
HMRC reveal bizarre excuses for not paying NMW
Following the latest HMRC press release naming and shaming employers for paying staff less than minimum wage, they have now published some of the excuses employers have used for failing to pay staff at minimum wage.HMRC recognises that the vast majority of employers ensure they pay their employees at least the NMW, but, in tax year 2020-21, it has helped over 155,000 workers in the UK to recover more than £16 million in pay they were entitled to. In addition, it has issued over £14 million … [Read more...]
Job vacancies reach the 1 million milestone
The month of July saw more than a million job openings, the first on record since the economy recovers from the pandemic.Figures published by the ONS also showed that the number of employees on payrolls rose by 182,000 last month - though this was still 201,000 below the pre-crisis levels.Arts, leisure and food service firms were among those making a big contribution to the surge in job vacancies.Ruth Gregory, senior UK economist at Capital Economics, said the jobs data should calm … [Read more...]
HMRC update: New proposal to clamp down on promoters of tax avoidance
HMRC have published further updates on the proposal to clamp down on tax avoidance schemes.The measure is targeted at the most persistent and determined promoters and enablers of tax avoidance.The proposed legislative changes are designed to clamp down on the supply of tax avoidance arrangements and include:a new power for HMRC to seek freezing orders that would prevent promoters from dissipating or hiding their assets before paying the penalties that are charged as a result of … [Read more...]
HMRC fails to convince Lords on legal justification for Loan Charge
In a widely anticipated follow-up session on the Loan Charge by the Lords Economic Affairs Committee, HMRC failed to convince the Committees members on the legal justification for it’s highly controversial retrospective tax that has resulted in thousands of freelancers being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. The members also poured scorn on HMRC’s poor record of cracking down on rogue umbrella companies which are, according to the BBC, still promoting schemes.The Committee directed … [Read more...]