PCG MEMBER SETTLES WITH REVENUE AFTER FOUR YEAR IR35 BATTLE

After more than four years, a PCG member's IR35 enquiry has been settled. Former freelancer Mark Sheerin, an IT consultant who lives in Edinburgh, was one of the first to face a challenge from Inland Revenue when IR35 was introduced.

See the Latest news page for the full story.

REVENUE DROPS HULLEON CASE

The Inland Revenue has closed its IR35 enquiry into the tax affairs of Samantha Gymer of Hulleon Limited. Samantha is an IT consultant, who works from home mostly, and whose father is qualified to act as a substitute for her. The enquiry had been in progress since August 2001 and was assigned to Accountax Consulting towards the end of 2003.

ABUSE OF AGENCY REGULATIONS

PCG has learnt that some agencies are abusing the new opt-out regulations and is compiling a dossier of complaints which it intends to present to the DTI. Where the agency involved is an ATSCo member, PCG will also notify ATSCo. Any abuses should be reported to the new email hotline [email protected].

The choice to opt out of the Agency Regulations is entirely at the discretion of the freelance contractor, and agencies should not be coercing them to do so. PCG's general advice is that freelancers should opt out if they have business-to-business terms and conditions, and to opt in if their terms resemble employment. As always, the terms of the contract should reflect reality.

PCG is working with the DTI and other bodies to produce a definitive guide to opting out of the new Agency Regulations, which it hopes to publish within the next fortnight.

APPSBG SEEKS VIEWS ON OWNER-MANAGED BUSINESSES AND TAX

PCG has been asked by the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group (APPSBG) to encourage its members to participate in a survey that it has commissioned regarding 'Owner-managed businesses and tax'.

PCG director Ian Durrant said, "This is an excellent way of making your views about employment status issues known to Parliament."

LAUNCH OF COLLABORATIVE FREELANCING INITIATIVE

PCG's Collaborative Freelancing Initiative (CFI) has been re-launched, and the first meeting will take place at a central London venue on Saturday 26 June 2004, at 13:00. The purpose of the CFI is threefold:

• To provide a mechanism whereby members who have an interest in investigating collaborative ventures with other like-minded freelancers can meet and discuss collaborative concepts.
• To provide members with networking opportunities.
• To brainstorm ideas for collaborative models and to discuss and help solve problems identified during the brainstorming.

For further information about the initiative and how to register, see the Notice Board.

CALL FOR FREELANCER SUCCESS STORIES

PCG is committed to promoting freelancing as a valid and valuable way of working, and would like to hear about any success stories and case studies involving freelancers that it can use in its marketing campaigns. In particular, quotations from senior managers at client sites extolling the virtues of freelancers and the difference that they make would be very welcome. Please email your case stories and quotations to Mandie Bell.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

Several hundred members have already responded to PCG's annual survey, providing valuable feedback and information to PCG's newly-elected board and Consultative Council.

Those members who have not yet done so are requested to participate in this survey, which is anonymous and should take only ten minutes or so to complete. It includes several free text response options, giving members the chance to express their views.

GUIDE TO FREELANCING: NEW PARAGRAPH 12.13

In response to feedback from two readers who felt that certain aspects of paragraph 12.13 in PCG's latest Guide to Freelancing were misleading, this paragraph has been redrafted. Now entitled "Non-corporate distribution rate", the new paragraph is incorporated within the PDF version available to download from PCG's website, free of charge to members and non-members alike. The new text for paragraph 12.13 is also available on the Legal and Accounting forum.

CANCER RESEARCH PROJECT

PCG is asking you to volunteer your PC to help process molecular research being conducted by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford in England and the National Foundation for Cancer Research. To participate, you simply need to download a very small, no cost, non-invasive software program that works like a screensaver: it runs when your computer is not being used, and processes research until you need your machine.

This landmark project began in April 2001 and allows people to make a real difference in the fight agains cancer. For more information, please see the Notice Board. To join the PCG team created in 2002, see the grid.org website.

MONEYPENNY OFFERS PROFESSIONAL TELEPHONE ANSWERING

Wrexham-based Moneypenny is the latest company to join PCG's growing band of Affiliate members. This young and vibrant company was founded in 2000 by brother and sister team, Ed Reeves and Rachel Clacher.

With its award-winning telephone answering service, Moneypenny provides professional telephone answering services to small businesses nationwide. Every client is allocated its own personal assistant who recognises and greets VIP callers exactly as a dedicated, on-site PA would. When calls cannot be put through, messages are taken and transmitted by SMS text, email or fax.

Moneypenny has already transformed the way that hundreds of small companies and self-employed businesses operate. For a week's free trial, call 0800 195 8810. PCG members are being offered the additional bonus of 30% extra free calls or first 10 calls a month free.

COMMERCIAL FORUM PROJECT POSTINGS

For information about the latest job, project, contract and work opportunities, see PCG's Commercial Forum.

REAL LIFE MEETINGS

York - Friday 4 June 2004 19:00
Three Legged Mare on High Petergate in York. Forum discussion
Contact: helmsman (Keith Hogben)

Edinburgh - Wednesday 9 June 2004 18:00
Bert's Bar in William Street, Edinburgh.
Forum discussion
Contact: john_ferguson (John Ferguson)

North Kent - Monday 14 June 2004 19:30
Meet outside TGI Fridays, Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent (off A2)
Forum discussion
Contact: Fat32Stone (Matt Hanchett)

Disclaimer - caveat emptor - PCG carries very limited advertising only from known and reputable Affiliates and complementary organisations. Even so, publication of any advertisement carries no implicit or explicit endorsement by PCG.

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