ContractorCalculator offers vital ‘on the go’ data with release of first iPhone app for contractors
ContractorCalculator has become the first leading contractor website in the UK to launch an iPhone app. Available from the iTunes store now, the app provides contractors with essential contracting information on demand, enabling them to manage their contracting careers on the move. “ContractorCalculator’s iPhone app will provide contractors with the latest news, guides and blogs, which will be updated live as new content is published,” says ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. More…
Contractors can expect “real improvements” as APSCo joins the IR35 Forum
Contractors can expect the IR35 Forum to deliver “real improvements”, according to Ann Swain, Chief Executive of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies’ (APSCo), which has accepted an invitation from HMRC to join the newly formed consultative body. “We appreciate the desire amongst the professional contracting community for clarity regarding IR35,” says Swain, “and we expect that this Forum will deliver real improvements.” More…
PCG launches ‘Freelance MBA’ to offer contractors key business training
PCG has launched its ‘Freelance MBA’, designed to bolster contractors’ business, marketing and financial skills. The online training, developed with and delivered online by Ashridge Business School, won’t lead to formal accreditation, but is structured in the same way as a classic MBA (masters of business administration) programme. It is available free to PCG Plus members and includes modules on finance, leadership, marketing, planning and the global business environment. More…
Engineering and IT contractors needed to plug the UK’s ‘serious talent shortage’
Highly skilled and flexible engineering and IT contractors are ideally placed to help plug the UK’s ‘serious talent shortage’ revealed in Manpower’s 2011 Talent Shortage Survey. The survey reveals that engineers top the table of the ten most difficult roles to fill in 2011, with IT contractors coming in tenth. According to Manpower UK MD Mark Cahill, training in the professions has not kept pace with the skills required: “Britain is facing a serious talent shortage in certain sectors at a time when unemployment is actually rising. Part of the reason we continue to see the same professions feature in the list every year is that the jobs have structurally changed, as have the skills required.” More…
Contractors urged to register for VAT ahead of an HMRC clampdown
Contractors trading with annual sales above the £73,000 VAT threshold, but who have yet to register, are being urged to register now before HMRC implements a compliance campaign later in the summer. This is the latest in a stream of such campaigns mounted by HMRC to reduce the so-called ‘tax gap’ and focusing on areas “where a significant underpayment has been identified”. More…
Contractors offered chance to avoid court over EBT enquiries
High-earning contractors facing a long drawn out battle over tax liabilities arising from the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) have been offered an olive branch by HMRC. According to accountant Grant Thornton, HMRC is offering a “negotiated settlement opportunity for those with an open enquiry into their arrangements”. Although HMRC has made it clear that this opportunity is not a tax amnesty, contractors ignoring the offer will find that their case will “be subject to a full enquiry and progressed in accordance with [HMRC’s] Litigation and Settlement Strategy. More…
‘Disguised remuneration’ legislation targeting contractors is ‘too complex’ says CIOT
The ‘disguised remuneration’ legislation introduced to target contractors, and other high earners using offshore tax solutions, such as Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs), is too complex, according to the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). The legislation aims to force contractors using such schemes to pay income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) on their remuneration as if it were employment income, but the CIOT claims it will cause more problems than it solves. More…
Contractor services supplier Parasol becomes REC business partner
Contractor services supplier Parasol, which offers contractors umbrella and accountancy solutions, is the first contracting sector business to become a business partner of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). REC members will now be able to access Parasol’s services on behalf of their contractor clients. “We hope we can provide a first class service to REC members,” says Parasol Chief Executive Rob Crossland, “giving them a set of high quality options to help them and their clients mitigate their risks, protect their reputation and increase their profitability.” More…
Offshore wind drives demand renaissance for engineering and offshore contractors
Offshore and engineering contractors are benefiting from an offshore-wind-driven renaissance in demand for their services. Ellie Zolfagharifard reports in The Engineer that jack-up vessels previously used in oil and gas exploration and production are being converted to ship and install wind turbines in offshore wind farms. As a result, demand is growing for specialist contractors to convert the ships for their new role and to operate the vessels as they install turbines offshore. More…