Contractors Guilty Until Proven Innocent

The FT reports that GlaxoSmithKline has found itself at the centre of a tax crackdown after HMRC accused nearly 1,500 of its self-employed contractors of being “disguised employees”.

HMRC sent identical letters last week to contractors working in various GSK departments including IT and biomedical sciences.

“We’re writing to you because you told us you were self-employed when you worked for and received payments through, your own company.

Whether a worker is employed or self-employed for tax purposes is not a matter of choice. Instead, you need to look at the facts of the working relationship between you and GSK.” 

The letters told the contractors that, if they accepted their GSK contract was caught by “IR35” rules on self-employment, they should calculate their employee payroll tax and national insurance contributions for the 2018/19 tax year and make payments by September 22.

If they disputed this, HMRC told them to reply with evidence by September 19.

Seb Maley, chief executive of Qdos, an IR35 tax specialist, said the letters were “aggressive” and that HMRC was trying to “terrify” contractors.

“HMRC is working off the basis that these contractors are guilty until proven innocent.”

Rebecca Seeley Harris, head of off-payroll at employment law specialist Re Legal Consulting, said contractors need not be afraid.

“Although it sounds very threatening, the letter has no legal basis.”

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

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Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

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HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Computer Says No

The https://t.co/EX1v1Ldgi6 website after I clicked Continue has advised me "There is a problem". Is this to reassure me that because NASA managed to save Apollo 13 with less computing power than an automatic washing machine, Her Majesty's Government will be able to sort out MTD?

— Stuart Jones (@StuartJones) August 28, 2019

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Auto Enrolment In EORI

HMRC will start automatically enrolling companies in a key customs system in preparation for a no-deal Brexit

More than 88,000 companies will be allocated an Economic Operator Register and Identification (EORI) number in the next two weeks, adding to the 72,000 firms who have already registered.

Sajid Javid is quoted by Public Technology:

"There can be no time for delay which is why HMRC has allocated thousands of businesses with a trading number to ensure they can continue to trade their goods through Europe from day one.

This will help ease the flow of goods at border points and support businesses to trade and grow."

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

A Little Light Relief

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Looking For Fraud Digital Platform

HMRC has issued an early engagement notice to inform potential suppliers that it is “considering procurement options” regarding its need for a “digital notebook application”. Such an application is needed to allow the department’s field officers to record evidence and other information during investigations into civil or criminal fraud cases.

HMRC is seeking to deploy off-the-shelf commercial software that can be installed on the smartphones and Microsoft Surface Pro hybrid devices used by its Fraud Investigation Services (FIS) division. The software must also integrate with the department’s wider technology estate and infrastructure.

“The application will have the capability to: record notes, take photographs, record video [and] audio, receive witness signatures and perform speech-to-text in multiple languages.

All case-related notebook entries will adhere to evidential standards, to ensure that contents are admissible as evidence in court. The application will have GPS and date/time-stamp functionality, which will be recorded against the file note when uploaded and saved. Once saved, the file will 'lock' editing functionality.”

SIMPLES!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Waives MTD Fines

Approximately 120,000 self-employed people have failed to meet the first deadline for filing their MTD tax returns.

Since April, the vast majority of small businesses with a turnover above the £85,000 VAT threshold have been required to submit returns online using third-party applications.


In total, 1.2 million businesses will be forced to comply with the new regime. About 490,000 should have completed their first return by August 7 but 120,000 have yet to register with HMRC.

The Telegraph reports that in normal circumstances those who had failed to comply would have received a fine of at least £100. However, it is choosing not to enforce these penalties during the first year.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) called on HMRC to extend this policy for a further year, allowing businesses to fully prepare for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"