Huge drop in unemployment

[Cuntybollocks]

Your welcome.

[David Johnson]

"Is that such a bad thing?"

THe answer to that question is in the word I have emboldened "people are forced to go down the self employed route."

There is nothing wrong with being self-employed if that is the path you want to go down and you are prepared to accept the risks involved i.e. no job security, no sick pay, no holiday pay, no employer pension contributions etc. Where it is not so good is when people need job security to say pay a mortgage and they are forced down this route purely for financial benefit to the company they are planning to work for.

"Self-employed people tend to pay less tax than PAYE, hence why so many presenters at the BBC are self-employed..."

I don't know if you have ever been self-employed but you do not seem to have much of a grasp of what it actually means. Although you may pay less tax than PAYE, there are many risks, some of which I have identified earlier in this post.

Secondly there is a world of difference between cleaners or care workers who are forced to be self-employed if they want any work and highly paid presenters or technicians doing work for the BBC. Often by becoming self-employed care workers can end up on income that is below the minimum wage for the number of hours worked.

[David Johnson]

"But the Tories did not win the 2010 election. "

Neither Gentleman nor myself stated that the Tories "won" the 2010 election.

Obviously you are more than welcome to contradict what people have not stated on this forum.

I would imagine that you are going to be fairly busy though.....

[Essex Lad]

David Johnson wrote:
>
> There is nothing wrong with being self-employed if that is the
> path you want to go down and you are prepared to accept the
> risks involved i.e. no job security, no sick pay, no holiday
> pay

Not true.

, no employer pension contributions

Not true either.

etc. Where it is not
> so good is when people need job security to say pay a mortgage
> and they are forced down this route purely for financial
> benefit to the company they are planning to work for.
>
> "Self-employed people tend to pay less tax than PAYE, hence why
> so many presenters at the BBC are self-employed..."
>
> I don't know if you have ever been self-employed

I've been self-employed for the last 15 years. I get paid holiday and pension contributions although not as great a company contribution as full-time employees.


but you do not
> seem to have much of a grasp of what it actually means.
> Although you may pay less tax than PAYE, there are many risks,
> some of which I have identified earlier in this post.
>
> Secondly there is a world of difference between cleaners or
> care workers who are forced to be self-employed if they want
> any work and highly paid presenters or technicians doing work
> for the BBC. Often by becoming self-employed care workers can
> end up on income that is below the minimum wage for the number
> of hours worked.

[David Johnson]

"I've been self-employed for the last 15 years. I get paid holiday and pension contributions although not as great a company contribution as full-time employees."

I suspect that your belief that you are self-employed is not shared by the HMRC. I would keep your work situation very quiet, if I was in your position.

You may find this very useful, though perhaps scary.



I draw your particular attention to the section Employee Type Benefits which states

"The presence, in a contract, of benefits such as paid leave, membership of firm's pension scheme, right to car park space, canteen facilities and so on is a good indicator that an employment relationship exists."

If you like, just give me details of your work arrangements - employer names/dates and your name etc etc. and I will check with HMRC for you, if you like?

!wink! !wink!

[Essex Lad]

David Johnson wrote:


>
> If you like, just give me details of your work arrangements -
> employer names/dates and your name etc etc. and I will check
> with HMRC for you, if you like?
>
No need, my accountant does all that for me but thanks for the kind offer.

[David Johnson]

"No need, my accountant does all that for me but thanks for the kind offer."

Did the same accountant set up an account for Harry Redknapp's dog in Monaco? !wink!

The dog probably got holiday pay and pension contributions, "although not as great a company contribution as full-time employees".

Seriously, I very much doubt that your tax affairs would survive an HMRC investigation based on what you have revealed. I wouldn't pass on my details to anyone else in your position so no wonder you turned down my kind offer.

!wink!

Thank you for supporting the point that I made earlier that there is a world of difference between cleaners and care workers forced to be self employed and those financially able to employ accountants. You expertly destroyed your own statement.

"people are forced to go down the
> self employed route.

Is that such a bad thing? Self-employed people tend to pay less tax than PAYE, hence why so many presenters at the BBC are self-employed...

[Essex Lad]

David Johnson wrote:

> "No need, my accountant does all that for me but thanks for the
> kind offer."
>
> Did the same accountant set up an account for Harry Redknapp's
> dog in Monaco? !wink!

No.

>
> Seriously, I very much doubt that your tax affairs would
> survive an HMRC investigation based on what you have revealed.

Seriously, wrong again, David. They have.


> I wouldn't pass on my details to anyone else in your position
> so no wonder you turned down my kind offer.
>
Apart from the fact my tax affairs are a cosy threesome ? me, my accountant and HMRC. No one else is involved.

>
> Thank you for supporting the point that I made earlier that
> there is a world of difference between cleaners and care
> workers forced to be self employed and those financially able
> to employ accountants. You expertly destroyed your own
> statement.
>
> "people are forced to go down the
> > self employed route.
>
> Is that such a bad thing? Self-employed people tend to pay
> less tax than PAYE, hence why so many presenters at the BBC are
> self-employed...

I'd rather be PAYEd but like most people in the media am self-employed because that's the way employers prefer it.

Quick example: Jeremy Paxman works for the BBC on Newsnight and University Challenge. I am guessing he gets a space for his car and is allowed to use the BBC canteen. Yet he is self-employed but according to what you posted before, he is not self-employed but an employee...

[David Johnson]

You clearly have no answer whatsoever to the fact that your getting holiday pay and pension contributions from the people you work for is a factor that the HMRC would use to argue that you are an employee. It directly counts against you as stated on the HMRC's own website link which I provided.

Secondly whether your media employer wants you to be self employed is neither here nor there and does not have any effect whatsoever on whether you are viewed as an employee or not by HMRC.

Thirdly, I am not party to the ins and outs of Jeremy Paxman's contractual status, benefits etc etc. Nor are you. What I do know is that the BBC came under fire for hiring so many people on a self employed/limited company status. And given that much of the HMRC rulings on this matter are based on the development of case law, the BBC has realised that they are potentially going to end up in deep shit along with the people they employ on a self employed basis, which is why they are moving a lot of people onto staff contracts as opposed to self employed/personal service company deals.



IN short, you would be wise to read the relevant links on the HMRC website, consider your own tax position and discuss it further with your accountant.

[Essex Lad]

You have no idea what I know or do not know about Jeremy Paxman's contractual status, benefits etc etc.