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CEO update May 2022: National Freelancers Day, MSC Investigation and more
- 27 May 2022
As we approach the start of June, one event looms large over IPSE: National Freelancers Day. In under two weeks, we will be hosting a series of webinars, keynotes and networking events designed specifically for self-employed workers. The event - running on June 16th - will focus on three key areas: Money Matters, Marketing Yourself and Community & Values.
This year, the keynote for National Freelancers Day will be Jo Fairley. Jo is an experienced freelancer as well as the co-founder of organic chocolate giant Green & Blacks. The keynote will go into detail about her story building Green & Blacks, and it will state why she believes that freelancers need to build values into their personal brand and business.
Those going to National Freelancers Day can also book 1-2-1 sessions with financial and self-employed experts on a range of topics including tax, financial and mortgage advice, CV appraisals and business insurance. Bookings are available on a first-come, first-served basis via the NFD app, so sign up for the event today to be first in line to book.
If you are an IPSE member, tickets are free this year! For those who aren’t members, you buy a ticket for NFD for £40.
Register here
Our continued fight against HMRC’s MSC investigation
While we have been preparing for NFD, we have also been working tirelessly in helping our members fight against HMRC’s Managed Service Company investigation.
The investigation has created chaos for hundreds of self-employed workers and has forced many to take a series of tough financial decisions. For instance, as shown in our latest Secret Contractor column, freelancers have had to cancel holidays and other expenses in the fear that they could owe thousands for the tax year 2017-2018, as well as subsequent years, to HMRC.
If you are affected by the investigation, then please view our MSC hub. We are constantly updating our MSC guide with new advice and template appeal letters from our insurance partner Markel. It also features upcoming webinars that we are planning around the investigation.
While we currently await the result of HMRC’s investigation, we believe that waiting for a verdict or sending an appeal won’t be enough to help those affected. We have, therefore, written a letter explaining the situation of our members and self-employed workers to Lucy Frazer MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and we will send an update as soon as she comes back to us.
Future of Work Review
Earlier this month, the government announced that Matt Warman MP would be leading a review into the future of work. The announcement stated that the review would cover a number of far-reaching topics such as how the country can navigate the aftershocks of the pandemic and how it can equip itself to deal with Net Zero, levelling up and Brexit. Importantly, for self-employed workers, it also said that it would be covering the labour market and whether it is fit for the future.
Following the announcement, we have submitted a statement welcoming the review. We have also met with Matt Warman MP and told him about a series of ongoing issues affecting freelancers such as IR35 and the difficulty surrounding employment status rules. We look forward to contributing further to the review and we will update members on our evidence as well as correspondence with Matt Warman MP over the coming weeks.
New IR35 report
After two damming IR35 reports in February from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee and the National Audit Office, there was another published in May from the Public Accounts Committee.
The PAC report delved into the impact of IR35 in the public sector. It found that too many hirers are making incorrect IR35 determinations and that employment status rules are, notoriously, too complex for organisations to understand. The report also found that it is still far too difficult for workers to challenge incorrect determinations as there is no independent appeals process.
We at IPSE responded to the new report into IR35 by calling PAC’s findings a damning indictment of the flawed reform. Read our full response here.
Advice
Need more help? Self-employment often means having to navigate lots of different websites with no clear source of truth. As the only not-for profit focused on self-employment, IPSE provides impartial and relevant advice on the topics that matter to you.
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