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PCG MEMBER MIKE ANSELL WINS IR35 CASE

On Thursday, PCG welcomed the news that the Special Commissioners of Income Tax have ruled in favour of PCG member Mike Ansell, whose IR35 case was heard in April this year. PCG supported the case, handled by Accountax Consulting.

44-year-old Mike Ansell, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, is an IT specialist working in the defence sector and has undertaken several projects for BAE Systems, two of which were under appeal. His reaction upon hearing about the judgment was one of relief and joy. "It has taken nearly two years to have this matter resolved," he said, "and I am over the moon. The people at Accountax have been very professional and dedicated in following it through to the end, and I am very grateful to PCG for supporting my case. I hope that this ruling will help thousands of other contractors in a similar situation."

NEW PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR QAIC

Since launching its ISO9001 certification scheme in June, PCG has received a stream of enquiries from members who would like to become Founders but who are not ready to do so immediately or who would prefer to pay by credit card. As a direct response to these requests, PCG is implementing the following changes with immediate effect.

• Founders may now enrol for a single payment of £350 plus VAT. This is the full Founders'deal in every respect except that no place will be reserved in the scheme itself until either the balance of the deposit or the full cost of first year participation is paid in full. This may be done at any point during the first 12 months of QAIC operation.
• All QAIC options may now be purchased by credit card.

In addition to this, PCG is in the final stages of negotiating a group finance deal with a well-known bank. Initially this will take the form of low cost business loans to cover your QAIC investment including fees and the necessary element of your own time should you wish to offset it. It is also intended to provide an advisory service to help obtain applicable grants as soon as possible.

It is important to note that business loans or grants applications will not be prejudiced simply because you have already paid a fully-refundable deposit.

Ten days ago, PCG conducted the first of several seminars for those who are interested in QAIC and it was very successful. Other seminars will be held where there is sufficient interest and they will be open to those considering QAIC but not yet committed and to those who have already signed but would like to learn more. In addition, if you are arranging a regional RLM and would like someone to come along and talk about QAIC, please give the office a call.

Any PCG member wishing to take advantage of the latest offerings should contact Mandie at the PCG office on (0845) 125 9899. Likewise anyone who would like to speak directly to one of the scheme's experts before making up their mind should also call Mandie who will arrange for a member of the team to call them back.

PCG FEARS MORE RED TAPE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

PCG has expressed concerns about the possible effect of introducing yet more red tape for owners of small and micro businesses. It was responding to reports that the Government would support a European Union directive giving temporary workers the same pay and benefits as permanent employees from the outset.

Whilst PCG supports the aims of legislation which will protect vulnerable temporary workers and outlaw exploitation, its own evidence suggests that PCG members do not fall into this category. PCG chairman Simon Juden said, "We fear that the burdens on client and contractor alike would be large and could therefore discourage the use of professional freelancers. We are not persuaded that these measures are necessary in this broad scope and feel that incorporated freelance workers should be excluded from such legislation."

USETECH HIGH COURT APPEAL

The High Court appeal for Bill Hood's company, Usetech Ltd, took place last Monday 26 July. Judgment is unlikely to be handed down until October. Members may visit the Legal and Accounting forum for further information.

PCG WELCOMES NEW AFFILIATE KPMG

Following a presentation by PCG at its specialist training day earlier this month, KPMG has joined PCG as an Affiliate member.

KPMG People Services group offers a range of tax-based employment services to help clients meet their compliance requirements. Its dedicated team of 700 includes human resource professionals, tax advisers, accountants, pensions consultants, actuaries, performance and reward professionals, recruitment consultants and occupational psychologists. The group helps clients tackle problems such as performance, flexibility, costs and risks of employment more effectively.

PCG chairman Simon Juden, who with Dave Smith of Accountax Consulting had presented to the group, said, "We are very pleased to welcome KPMG as an Affiliate member, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership between our two organisations."

INFORMATION FOR YOUR ACCOUNTANT

PCG's recent membership survey showed that over 85% of respondents sought business advice from their accountants. PCG already communicates with over 200 firms of accountants who look after freelance contractor clients, many of whom say that they value information from PCG about IR35, Section 660A and other taxation matters.

If your accountant is not a PCG member or Affiliate member, but you think they would like to receive information from PCG about the Arctic case and other tax and case law matters that are relevant to freelance contractors and small business owners, please ask them to register their details online, at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=6388569680 indicating which publications they would like to receive.

LAST CALL FOR STEVENAGE SEMINAR TUESDAY 3 AUGUST

There are just a few places left for the seminar being held in Stevenage tomorrow evening 3 August. The event is being hosted by Baker Watkin and Millfield Partnership, in association with PCG, and is designed for freelancers, consultants, contractors and small business owners. Topics will include:

• Using the internet and networking to market yourself
• Topical tax tips for freelance consultants
• Investing for your future

Non-members are also welcome. This will provide a good opportunity to meet other small business owners in the area and to have your marketing, networking and accounting questions answered. If you would like to attend, please register online.

CFI MEETING IN MANCHESTER

The next meeting of the Collaborative Freelancing Initiative (CFI) will take place in Manchester on Saturday 18 September 2004. Details are available online.

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 from the Commercial forums include:

IT support role (permanent) - PCG, Uxbridge

Primavera P3 planners

Oracle project trainers/consultants

Four J2EE developers

Three Java/J2EE/BEA Weblogic developers/architects

REAL LIFE MEETINGS

West Midlands - Wednesday 4 August 2004 19:30

Central London - Wednesday 4 August 2004 18:00

Farnborough - Tuesday 24 August 2004 19:00

Thames Valley - Wednesday 8 September 2004 20:00

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.

Professional Contractors Group Limited
Lakeside House, 1 Furzeground Way
Stockley Park East
Uxbridge
UB11 1BD

Telephone: +44 (0845) 125 9899
Fax: +44 (020) 8622 3200

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