Contractor accountant wants IR35 reform worked on, together

A contractor accountancy firm has backed a brolly boss’s belief that managing private sector IR35 reform, rather than protesting against it, should become the priority.

In ContractorUK’s post-Budget 2018 webinar, Orange Genie said that despite ‘emotions running high’ from the “ploughing ahead” with IR35 reform, the key was to collaborate early.

“It’d be quite easy for us to sit here with our head in our hands and ponder how could HMRC have got this so wrong,” said the firm’s Helen Christopher.

“How can they not have understood the evidence we’ve all put before them? In reality, the time for pondering is probably over now…what we need to do is work together”.

But she admits to being sceptical about the claims made alongside the Budget in the Off-Payroll Working in the Private Sector policy paper, in relation to applying the reform retrospectively.  

“They [HMRC] are more focused on efforts ensuring businesses comply going forward and they won’t be carrying out targeted campaigns into previous years,” Christopher said, quoting from the paper.

“I have to say I treat that with some scepticism, because we know how the Revenue have operated in the past. But at the moment, their delivery is that they will not do that.”  

The webinar also heard guidance for PSCs, such as keep a file to evidence outside IR35 status, speak to clients/agencies about their processes and use networking to help source a substitute.