The government have this week confirmed a number of significant ministerial changes in the first cabinet reshuffle since the general election in 2010. The PCG’s Head of Public Affairs, Simon McVicker, described those changes which are likely to impact on issues relating to contractors and freelancers;
“The key players in the Treasury have not changed so policy will remain the same. The arrival of Michael Fallon at BIS as Business Minister is to be welcomed as he is likely to be a much more pro business, high profile Minister than the departing Mark Prisk. At the Home Office Mark Harper as the new Immigration Minister is unlikely to change things that much. He is a young ambitious Minister who is known to play a straight bat with tricky policy areas.”
The REC confirmed that they are planning to meet the new employment minister Mark Hogan as well as Lib Dem Jo Swinson, who has taken over as employment relations minister. They said that previous meetings with these ministers had included a commitment to review the administrative implications of the AWR, which they hope is still remembered after the change in personnel.
In a statement responding to the changes, they also expressed their hope that changes within the Treasury will provide an opportunity for a new drive on issues such as HMRC enforcement, ‘controlling persons’ proposals and IR35 rules.
The third group to comment were the Forum of Private Business, whose senior policy advisor, Phil McCabe, called for new Business Minister Michael Fallon “to come out of the traps quickly with fresh eyes, fresh thinking, and be prepared to consider the unconventional” in regards to an approach for jump starting UK business growth.
In amongst a call for a number of other policies to help SME’s, Mr McCabe said that the priorities are “new tax breaks for small businesses, and a reduction in red tape which actually leads to less time-consuming bureaucracy and form filling” which he described as “absolutely fundamental issues.”
ICS work with a team of experts in employment and tax law to ensure our services are fully compliant with existing IR35 legislation and the latest government regulations, such as the AWR. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.
