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Monthly press roundup: January 2022
- 02 Feb 2022
While the media has been focused on Partygate, Omicron, and the Ukraine crisis, we at IPSE have been working on cutting through the noise and voicing the concerns of our members around issues such as the self-assessment deadline, umbrella companies and IR35. Here are three press highlights over the past month:
Self assessment deadline
At the start of January, we joined calls from other organisations in asking the government to extend the self-assessment deadline by a month. We argued in the Daily Telegraph, Accountancy Daily and elsewhere that moving the deadline for the second year in a row would help thousands avoid penalties and give them the time to sort out their tax as they try to recover post-COVID. Thankfully, the government listened to our calls and extended the deadline to February 28th.
For advice on Self Assessments, tax year end, and more, check out our new Self-Employed Tax guidance.
Umbrella company cyber attack
Following a cyber-attack on a well-known umbrella company that left thousands of freelancers without their normal incomes, we voiced the concerns of members in the Daily Telegraph.
We argued that following the implementation of IR35 in April 2021, thousands of freelancers have turned towards umbrella companies. We also stated that there is a question of whether these companies are becoming an increasing target as more money is passed through them. What’s clear is that security needs to be in place so the people forced to use them can get their money on time.
If you are concerned about umbrella companies, then please fill out the survey below. The survey will inform our views on umbrella companies and help us submit evidence to the Treasury following their recent call for evidence surrounding the industry.
Take the survey
Self-employed landscape 2021 report
Earlier this week, we launched our 2021 landscape report. The report analysed the demographic changes to self-employed workers over the past year and it found that following another year of COVID-19 restrictions, the number of contractors dropped from 4.3 million in 2020 to 4.1 million in 2021. The report also found that the fall in solo self-employed workers over the past year has been extremely uneven, with different regions and demographics experiencing different levels of decline. You can read more about the report here:
Read the report
The landscape report was covered by a number of publications including The I and the Daily Telegraph. In the articles, we used the report to speak about the need for the government to intervene and solve issues plaguing the sector such as IR35.
Self-Employed Tax
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