How many PCG/IPSe members on here? Read their website?

[Rhino 888]

Just wondering how many people on here are PCG members, and have not kept up to speed with their manifesto?
I suspect I'm a typical PCG member, joined as result of IR35, after a few years just paid my sub and let them get on with it.
So, recently, bit slack at work, starting reading their website as a result of the name change.
Had a look at their forum, village of the dead? it reminds me of a sailing club committee.

Do most people just pay up and ignore them?
Or do we welcome the changes?

Am I just suffering from 20 years of contracting? Maybe.
Just interested in different thoughts on the matter.

[cherhill]

Just wondering how many people on here are PCG members, and have not kept up to speed with their manifesto?
I suspect I'm a typical PCG member, joined as result of IR35, after a few years just paid my sub and let them get on with it.
So, recently, bit slack at work, starting reading their website as a result of the name change.
Had a look at their forum, village of the dead? it reminds me of a sailing club committee.

Do most people just pay up and ignore them?
Or do we welcome the changes?

Am I just suffering from 20 years of contracting? Maybe.
Just interested in different thoughts on the matter.

Not been on the site for a long time and last time I did I also noticed the forum was very out of date. Nobody seems to post on there anymore.

I have been a member for 11 years and my renewal is up in a few weeks. For first time ever I am mulling over whether to continue with them or not.

[eek]

I assume you have never read any of my posts regarding that manifesto?

Pcg plus is irrelevant to the people you are targeting in that list.

Look it's likely hell will freeze over before I agree with any of the Pcg's campaigns. If you can't see why I think campaigning to combine national insurance with income tax is a stupid idea with high risk consequences for people who use dividends for part of their income you are clearly beyond help...

If you want to argue, try finding out the facts first. Although it's a lot less fun.

But let's try a little thought experiment. Since dividend payments are not actually there to allow a small number of one-man-band contractors to beat NICs but are fundamental to how the economy works, why do you assume that merging income tax and PAYE would be allowed to result in a change in net taxation? Surely the Treasury would have to devise some mechanism that preserved the overall status quo. (:rollin) And if no IR35 - it would be totally redundant - why would you need to take dividends anyway? Or are you claiming that your whole working model is a sham just so you can avoid paying your fair share of taxes? Surely not...

Oh, and just as an aside, it's the administration they're talking about merging, not the taxation.

Now I could go through the reply line by line to show but as Malvolio knows that I call him out as an utter muppet everytime he posts against me there is little point.
There are two things to point out

1) Surely no one knowing anything about HMRC can believe that the bit in Red will be the end result....

2) The last line is clearly an utter lie if you read the PDF version of the manifesto. Of course having (once again) called Malvolio out again he refused to confirm that he was posting inaccurate information and to apologise..

[Epiphone]

It'd be nice if all the PCG/IPSE threads were on their website rather than this one. Perhaps PCG/IPSE need to have a look at why a lot of people choose to use this forum to communicate with each other )and others) rather than the PCG/IPSE website.

[eek]

It'd be nice if all the PCG/IPSE threads were on their website rather than this one. Perhaps PCG/IPSE need to have a look at why a lot of people choose to use this forum to communicate with each other )and others) rather than the PCG/IPSE website.

I'm not a member of IPSE and haven't been for years. Given their utter incompetency as I've highlighted above (and could go on for pages tearing that manifesto apart moronic idea by moronic idea) I wouldn't be able to post there...

Granted I can see the purpose of their insurance. As the only thing their campaigning has so far achieved is the opt out for agency regulations I really would prefer that they did nothing at all in that area.

[Rhino 888]

It'd be nice if all the PCG/IPSE threads were on their website rather than this one. Perhaps PCG/IPSE need to have a look at why a lot of people choose to use this forum to communicate with each other )and others) rather than the PCG/IPSE website.

The reason I posted on here was the deathly quiet on the IPSe site, apart from some sort of management love-in.
There's not really much point trying to have a discussion with other rank and file members if 90% of the traffic is from the committee.

I'm a contractor of 20 years, but not lately working with any other contractors, not sure if I even know any other PCG members apart from a couple who have been involved with their internal politics (some years ago).
So I wanted to know if I was wildly out of line with the alleged 20-odd thousand PCG members. A quick search found this place.
TBH, their magazine has largely failed to get opened for the last few years, I've just paid and ignored them.
I'm perhaps a little out of the mainstream, being an electronics hardware design bloke rather than strictly IT.

I'm a little nervous of losing the IR35 protection, but sufficiently disillusioned to consider risking it.

Cheers,

[tractor]

...

There are two things that concern me significantly in the manifesto.

1.The NHI/Tax issue
2. The call for a new corporate vehicle.

Neither is required. Both will be a disaster.

The rest of it is comprised of stuff like equality and the sort of thing the Lib Dems come out with every election to win over minorities and which is best left for orgs other than a representative organisation.

FWIW, the cost of membership just for the insurance and protection is worth it. The rest is just noise.

The forums are a shadow of their former self because given that IR35 is largely irrelevant to those who know how to deal with it, none of the other issues are that high on the agenda for the average contractor.

[eek]

There are two things that concern me significantly in the manifesto.

1.The NHI/Tax issue
2. The call for a new corporate vehicle.

Neither is required. Both will be a disaster.

The rest of it is comprised of stuff like equality and the sort of thing the Lib Dems come out with every election to win over minorities and which is best left for orgs other than a representative organisation.

FWIW, the cost of membership just for the insurance and protection is worth it. The rest is just noise.

The forums are a shadow of their former self because given that IR35 is largely irrelevant to those who know how to deal with it, none of the other issues are that high on the agenda for the average contractor.

You also missed the 24 month travel expenses rule change.

[tractor]

...

You also missed the 24 month travel expenses rule change.

+1 TYVM

3 things

[TheFaQQer]

It'd be nice if all the PCG/IPSE threads were on their website rather than this one. Perhaps PCG/IPSE need to have a look at why a lot of people choose to use this forum to communicate with each other )and others) rather than the PCG/IPSE website.

I was essentially told by an IPSE board member that because I didn't post on their forums, I didn't have a right to comment about their activity.

Which was nice.