Forced to use umbrella??

[eek]

Precisely the point. A contractor has chosen to take responsibility for their own career. IR35 rules removes capacity to do that and so increases ones risk of future unemployment.

You are discarding the rights of a worker to choose an employer and working conditions, just on the premise of a legal vacuum and which party happens to be stronger and has the upper hand. That street-gang attitude may be where we are at the moment, but it isn't what we have to accept.

1) how the government taxes you is a concern of the government - you can still be a “contractor” it’s just not as profitable tax wise as it used to be.

2) When you are offered a contract or a job the terms and conditions are part of the offer - you either can accept the job or keep looking. Absolutely nothing has changed in your relationship except the tax side of things and that literally just shows who actually had the control within the contract relationship (and it was never you, you just thought it was).

3) the fact you are ranting shows you know who always had the upper hand. If you want it to be you, you should have done what I did which is spend the last 3 years getting into a position where I no longer need to use agents to find work nor apply to for advertised work.
the downside is you really don’t want to see the bill for the pointless dead ends nor the monthly costs of staff while little money is coming in