Advanced Warning: Scale rate payments for travel and subsistence – start collecting receipts

As many of you will know HMRC published benchmark scale rates earlier this year in relation to travel and subsistence to and from a temporary workplace.  These advisory rates do not affect con...

CBI Conference: Contractors will be among the winners

Contractors will be among the winners of the biggest root-and-branch reform to the model of business in Britain in more than a decade, the CBI said in their annual conference. The next decade ...

Orange Genie: More wins for contractors, recruitment agencies and end clients

Orange Genie has a fundamental commitment to the continuous improvement of its customer service. Over the past 3 years we have undertaken a review of what we do and how we do it. A key element of t...

OrangeGenie wins Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) award for 'Innovator of the Year 2009'

The award was given in recognition of the solution OrangeGenie has developed for the health, safety and risk awareness training of its contractors.  In making the award the judges commented &#...

Freelancing and Contracting The Business Model of the Future

Monday 23rd of November was declared the National Freelancers Day by the freelance community represented by the Professional Contractors Group (PCG). (see our related articles: Freelancer Day logo ...

SPA Launches First Service Providers Code of Conduct For Umbrellas

The Service Providers Association (SPA), an independent organisation that represents umbrella companies and businesses which provide administrative support services to limited companies, has announ...

Lloyds Appeal Against Tax Avoidance Scheme With HMRC

Lloyds TSB banking group has lost a court case over HBOS group worth £54 million in tax. HBOS banking and insurance businesses were taken over by Lloyds TSB on 19 January this year.

The issu...

Recruitment figures increase for three consecutive months

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG, independent business services provider, have announced in their latest report on jobs that the recruitment market has grown for both per...

Alistair Darling plans further controls for Tax Avoidance in Pre-Budget Report (PBR)

The Chancellor is expected to use the PBR in early December to outline strict measures to narrow any possibility of tax avoidance by individuals.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are also closely m...

HMRC saving costs with IT Shakedown

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will save £110m a year as a result of revising its IT service contract with lead supplier Capgemini.The original contract known as 'Aspire' was agreed in...

Good News for the Housing Market With More Homes Sold in September

Both the Bank of England and the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) have reported an increase of 76.8 per cent in the number of mortgages approved for house purchase by the major banks showin...

Holiday rentals for second home provide no tax havens

Holidays home owners will face the possibility of  additional annual tax charges which could be in the £thousands under new laws expected to be announced by the Chancellor Alistair Darli...

Compliant Umbrella Companies Take away the Strain as Paying the Right Tax is as Essential as Ever.

Stephen Timms, UK Treasury minister, has announced that there will be changes to tax legislation with immediate effect to stop avoidance tax schemes recently notified to HM Revenue and Customs (HMR...

UK delays the implementation of the Agency workers Directive

The Agency Works Directive (AWD) was agreed in 20 May 2008 between the UK’s largest business organisations, (CIB) and the Trade Union Centre (TUC), with the aim to guarantee temporary agency ...

Royal Mail set to employ 30,000 temporary workers for Christmas 2009

Royal Mail Group Plc is currently negotiating with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which has confirmed two nation wide strikes on Thursday Oct 22 and 23 in a dispute over pay and work condit...

Unemployment Rises at Lower Pace than Expected

Signs of economic recovery which have been hailed since August are showing signs of continuing with a small rise in unemployment for October. The rise in unemployment was expected to be greater for...

Freedom SIPP finally wound up by HMRC

The company Freedom provider of self invested personal pensions (SIPP) was forced to close business in September last year after an inspection by the Financial Services  Authority (FSA) that f...

BBC Contractors set up Companies in bid to Avoid Tax Through IR35 Regulations

High earners hit with 50% income tax as well as regular 40% and lower tax earners are looking for the most tax efficient ways to survive financial downturn and bring home their maximum pay. HMRC fi...

Could Bank Protests Make Your Savings be Safe Offshore Afterall?

Lloyds TSB bank plc, one of the UK’s largest banks has recently been the subject of an undercover investigation by Panorama - televisions investigative current affairs programme. The document...

HMRC Announce Increase in Income Tax Due to Shortfall in Tax Collection

Recent hope alluring to the recovery from the current UK recession is now overshadowed by announcements from HMRC that steep increases in income tax payments will be required for the coming years.