National Freelancers Day 2014 was the “best yet”, according to IPSE chief executive Chris Bryce. The Live Panel Debate included a short introductory speech by the new tsar, David Morris, who provided insights into some of the priorities of his new role before the 2015 election.
These include focusing on issues such as maternity and paternity pay for contractors and the self-employed, alongside looking at taxation. Morris hinted that he “will be having meetings with the Chancellor very shortly” to discuss “areas of reducing VAT in certain sectors of business”.
On taxation, Morris noted that: “We can’t rip up the rule book and start again, however we can amend the rule book to make it easier for us to flourish.”
National Freelancers Day 2014 Live Panel Debate
As in previous years, the 2014 National Freelancers Day was marked by a range of events the highlight of which was the Live Panel Debate in Tech City, London. This featured:
- A rousing introduction by host Sue Lawley
- IPSE chairman Julie Stewart’s vision for the future of IPSE
- The results of the Fifteen for 2015 competition
- A fascinating keynote speech by journalist and presenter Declan Curry
- A spirited panel debate featuring questions from the floor and from the video-linked Manchester and Edinburgh meetings
- Insights into some of the plans from the new contracting tsar, David Morris MP
- A closing address by IPSE chief executive Chris Bryce, in which he called the 2014 event “thrilling” and the “best yet”.
When introduced to the London audience and during his short speech introducing himself, Morris joked: “Talk about being thrown into the deep end!”
He then added that: “Before becoming a Member of Parliament, I was self-employed for 30 years. It’s a privilege to be your voice, listen to what you say and to articulate that further.”
What should the contracting tsar do before the election?
A member of the London audience asked what the new tsar must achieve in the six months before the election, to which panellist Curry responded: “Increase the powers of the tsar to make him a fully fledged minister.”
We can't rip up the rule book and start again, however we can amend the rule book to make it easier for us to flourish
David Morris MP
Panellist Toby Perkins MP added: “The role of the tsar in terms of promoting freelancing as a sector and really speaking up for the value of the sector is incredibly important. David [Morris] has come tonight to listen to people, which is a positive first. He then has to be able to punch above his weight in government and be listened to himself.”
Lawley then invited Morris to respond to the question, asking: “You are going to bang the drum for freelancers across government departments. Where are you going to bang it the loudest?”
“We’ve got six months,” highlighted Morris. “This [self-employment] is a growing area, and it is likely to be an ongoing growth sector. [We will] look at ways of ensuring that, for instance, maternity pay is paid to self-employed individuals, and paternity pay.
“There are [options] for reducing VAT in certain sectors of business, which is an area we have been working on and I will be having meetings with the Chancellor on this very shortly. These are just initial ideas.”
Merging Income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs)
“What about taxation?” continued Lawley, “and the suggestion to put NI together with income tax?”
Morris replied: “NI and income tax have always been linked in some way. We’ve got to start looking at how we are going to progress into the future with the taxation regime we have now and how we can adapt it.
He concluded: “We can’t rip up the rule book and start again. However, we can amend the rule book to make it easier for us to flourish.”
ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin believes that Morris may just be able to secure some concessions for contractors before the country heads to the polls: “Although there are only six months before the General Election in 2015, it appears that Morris is hitting the ground running in his new role.”
Chaplin concludes: “The chances of seeing sweeping changes are slim, but Morris has the potential to lay the groundwork for improving the standing of the contracting sector in the minds of politicians’ and policymakers’.”