PCG TO APPEAL ARCTIC IN WAKE OF NEW REVENUE GUIDE ON S660A

PCG has exressed its frustration with the Inland Revenue's new "Guide to the Settlements Legislation for Small Business Advisers", published on 18 November, and has confirmed its decision to appeal the Arctic Systems case at the High Court.

PCG chairman Simon Juden said, "This guide fails to address key elements of the vagueness surrounding this measure and does little to mitigate the uncertainty for small family business owners, who will no doubt be surprised to hear that they are not classified as ‘ordinary businesses’. We will carry on our fight for the right to transparent and easy taxation at a fair rate for people who choose to work for themselves, and we stand by our belief that where families share risk, they should also be able to share reward."

Anne Redston and Kevin Miller of Ernst & Young gave their reaction to the new guidance in an AccountingWeb article published last week (registration required), and Anne told PCG, "There is very little new in this guide and I am extremely disappointed that the Revenue have not used this opportunity to clarify their guidance. It seems that the uncertainty surrounding S660A will be resolved only when the Joneses’ case is successfully appealed."

The professional bodies have published a guidance note on disclosure, in which they highlight the key points as being:

• the need to consider carefully on a case by case basis the technical issues in the context of members' clients; and
• if members decide there may be liability, if the Inland Revenue view is correct, and they wish to reduce the risk of a discovery assessment in the future, what information they may wish to provide with the client's self assessment tax return

PCG is still calling for public support to help fund the Arctic appeal, and details of the legal fund and how to donate are available on the website.

NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR PCG

PCG has announced the appointment of John Thomas as chief executive officer. John has worked with PCG for over two years, most recently as chief operations officer with responsibility for member services and operations.

Announcing the appointment, PCG chairman Simon Juden said, "I am delighted that John has agreed to become PCG�s first ever CEO. The board has enormous confidence in him and his ability to take PCG to the next level. John will manage the executive team responsible for the day-to-day running of the business and delivery of our objectives, allowing the board to focus on governance, policy, objectives and strategy. We have some exciting and ambitious plans for the coming year, and I am pleased that John will be on board to help drive them forward."

John will take up his appointment at the beginning of January 2005.

PCG CHAIRMAN PUBLISHES HALF YEAR REPORT

Six months after taking office as PCG chairman, Simon Juden has posted an overview of the board's achievements since it was elected in May. Most of the objectives identified by the board and published to members in early June have been achieved. Noteable successes include:

• Expansion of the sectors from which PCG recruits new members
• Improved membership retention rates
• Improved and increased media coverage
• Increased representation by policy team at government, department and select committee level
• Expanded sphere of influence with complementary organisations
• Introduced ISO9001 certification scheme for members
• Launch of Approved Contract scheme
• Introduction of vetting scheme for new and renewing Affiliate members
• Internal reorganisation and appointment of external finance director
• Appointment of chief executive officer
• Provision of comprehensive management and financial reports and information to the Consultative Council on a regular basis
• Introduction of ticketing system to formalise IT and administrative processes
• Continued development of regional networks

Simon intends to post a revised set of seven objectives and associated strategies within the next few weeks, requesting comments and feedback from members, with a status report of activities broken down by objective, to give members a clear vision of what PCG is doing to achieve the objectives it has set itself for the current year.

RESULTS OF VOTE AT AGM 20 NOVEMBER 2004

The PCG annual general meeting was held on Saturday 20 November at the BCS office, Southampton Street in London, and the results of voting for the two resolutions appear on the Notice Board.

The directors would like to thank Andy McDonald for taking the AGM minutes, which will be posted on the forum in due course, and Andrew Banks and Alex Heney for acting as scrutineers.

BANKING SURVEY

The subject of business banking frequently rears its head in the forums, and PCG is in discussion with a high street bank about its interest in developing a packaged business account especially for freelance contractors and consultants.

Over 200 members have already taken part in an online survey designed to assess the requirements of members and their businesses. If you have not already done so, please spend a few moments of your time to tell PCG about your banking needs and preferences.

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.

Current opportunities include:

Contract component manager - Romsey

Contract PHP programmer - Cambridge area

Contract senior data quality analyst - Hatfield

REAL LIFE MEETINGS

Local real life meetings - known on the forums as "RLMs" - encourage members to socialise, network and discuss PCG issues. These meetings are open to all members, and in many cases non-members are welcome to come along too.

Aberdeen - Wednesday 1 December 2004 18:30
Inn at the Park, Polmuir Road, Aberdeen. Subject: S660A. Non-members welcome.

Sheffield - Wednesday 1 December 2004 19:30
Old Queen's Head opposite main railway station, Sheffield

Thames Valley/Maidenhead - Wednesday 1 December 2004 20:30
Meal at Sweeney and Todd, 10 Castle Street, Reading (bookings needed by 30 November)

Kent - Monday 6 December 2004
Venue to be agreed

Edinburgh - Tuesday 14 December 2004
Venue to be agreed

Various members have also posted in the RLM forum about potential meetings in: Basel, Norwich, Swindon and Winchester or Southampton If you would like to attend RLMs in any of these areas, please register your interest by posting to the relevant thread.

OTHER EVENTS

AICS AGM and Conference - London, Saturday 27 November 2004
The Association of Independent Computer Specialists (AICS) will be holding its AGM and Conference at The East India Club, St. James', London on Saturday 27 November. The conference should be of particular interest to both ICT and non-ICT people.

PRINCE2 training
PCG Affiliate member Maven Training is running a series of PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner courses throughout December, and is offering a preferential discount of 15% to PCG members. For full details of dates, venue and fees and to book your course, visit the Maven Training website or call (0207) 403 8020.

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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