SURVEY OF OWNER-MANAGED BUSINESSES AND THEIR TAX

PCG external affairs director Ian Durrant and senior political adviser David Ramsden attended a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group (APPSBG) at the House of Commons on Wednesday 30 June 2004.

The first item on the agenda was a presentation by Dr Alan Southern, University of Liverpool, on the findings of an APPSBG survey entitled "Owner-Managed Businesses and their Tax", which had been publicised by PCG in its newsletter on 1 June.

Dr Southern's interim report indicated that small businesses viewed the taxation system as being complicated and frustrating. Owner-managers believed that 25% of their turnover was taken in taxes, and rated the accountancy profession as the most trusted adviser on taxation matters. IR35 was an area of concern, as was the proposed 19% tax on distributed profits.

Ian Durrant presented a paper on "Status, Self-Employment and the Contractor's Experience" promoting the need for a statutory right to be self-employed, rather than having one's employment status determined in accordance with the latest pronouncement from the courts.

INAUGURAL MEETING OF COLLABORATIVE FREELANCING INITIATIVE

Some 30 members attended the first meeting of PCG's Collaborative Freelancing Initiative (CFI) last Saturday 26 June. The aim of the CFI is to facilitate discussion and networking opportunities between like-minded freelancers interested in investigating collaborative ventures.

According to PCG director Richard Robson, there were many very useful and positive discussions throughout the session, as well as some surprisingly frank revelations about past business failures. "This highlights the lesson," he said, "that many a successful enterprise is has followed a string of unsuccessful ventures."

A new thread called Collaborative Freelancing has been established for members.

SARA - ONLINE SELF-ASSESSMENT RISK ANALYSIS FOR S660A

Whilst Geoff and Diana Jones of Arctic Systems await judgment after the hearing of their S660A case at the Special Commissioners last month, members who are concerned that they may be at risk of an S660A investigation should take the SARA test.

SARA, an acronym for self assessment risk analysis, is an online diagnostic tool which enables freelance consultants to assess their risk of a challenge under S660A. PCG's Guide to S660A includes details of how to calculate the tax that would be due if S660A applied.

A brochure describing PCG's QAIC scheme has been sent to members together with a letter and application form inviting them to apply for inclusion in the IS09001:2000 certification scheme, and the brochure may also be downloaded from the website

Any member wishing to join may now do so, whether they have pre-registered or not, and several applications for both the standard and founder schemes have already been received.

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

NEW SHARE ISSUE/TRANSFER REPORTING REQUIREMENT

The Inland Revenue has introduced a new requirement to inform it of any shares issued or share options granted to directors or employees since 16 April 2003. There is also a reporting requirement where existing shares have been transferred to employees by third parties - it remains the company's obligation to report the transfer.

Companies must notify the Inland Revenue Share Schemes Unit if a 'reportable event' occurs. The definition of this term is very wide-ranging; for details please see Legal and Accounting and the Inland Revenue Website

PCG LAUNCHES REGIONAL INITIATIVE

Julie Stewart joined the PCG board last month with a remit to help build a regional network of PCG clusters, supporting members locally and complementing the virtual interaction via the internet.

Members are invited to get in touch with her by email [email protected], including their postcode in the message, to

* Find out more about Real Life Meetings (RLMs)
* Establish whether there are any RLMs in their area
* Discuss starting an RLM and requesting help
* Find out how many other PCG members there are in their area
* Discuss the possibility of clients, agents, accountants and other potential partners co-hosting local events to discuss issues concerning themselves and freelancers, and for networking
* Share their thoughts and ideas for building regional networks

Regional events represent a growing part of the PCG community activity, and there are already several well-established regional groups, such as Edinburgh, Thames Valley, Gloucestershire/Wiltshire, central London and Kent.

Freelancing can be lonely, and regional meetings represent the ideal opportunity to socialise, network and exchange ideas. Some of the meetings have featured formal presentations from tax experts, including Dave Smith of Accountax, which were found to be extremely worthwhile by participants.

Members are also reminded that they can register their interest in attending a regional seminar; this information will help PCG to gauge the demand in specific areas and plan accordingly.

CO-HOSTED REGIONAL EVENTS

Following the success of previous such events, PCG is working with several Affiliate members and other partners to continue its planned programme of co-hosted seminars for freelancers around the regions. The next two events will be at:

* Egham, Wednesday 28 July 2004 18:30 - register online
* Stevenage, Tuesday 3 August 2004 18:30 - register online

IIM SEMINAR - "LET ME THROUGH...I'M AN EXPERT!"

PCG’s chief operations officer John Thomas recently met with the chairman of the Institute of Interim Management (IIM), Taravat Taher-Zadeh, to discuss ways of working together to promote the value of freelancing.

As a result of this new partnership, PCG members are invited to attend an event being hosted by The Institute of Interim Managers at 18:30 on Thursday 8 July 2004. Entitled “Let me through….. I’m an Expert!” the evening seminar will address five key areas:

* Communication
* Networking
* Winning Contracts
* Mentoring
* Managing the Exit

Anthony Day, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Member of Toastmasters International and the Professional Speakers Association, will present the event at the Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Anthony is a PCG member and has been a regular participant at Yorkshire Region RLMs.

Delegates are invited to attend from 18:00 for an 18:30 start, and the seminar should finish at 21:30. Light refreshments will be served before the presentation, followed by a cocktail reception afterwards. The price for IIM members is £20 including VAT, and £35 including VAT for non-members.

COMMERCIAL FORUM PROJECT POSTINGS

For information about the latest job, project, contract and work opportunities, see PCG's Commercial forum, and Members' Commercial forum. The Commercial forum may be accessed by Affiliate members, and PCG welcomes postings by agencies.

This week's opportunities, selected from both forums, include:

Potential contract opportunities for consultants

Main or sole contractor for telecommunications system upgrade for City-based company

REAL LIFE MEETINGS

Reading/Thames Valley - Tuesday 6 July 2004 19:30

London - Saturday 17 July 2004 17:30

North Kent - Monday 19 July 2004 19:30

North West - Thursday 29 July 2004 19:30

Central London - Wednesday 4 August 2004 18:00

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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