6th March, 2001 - Elections and Budget
Budget Submission
In advance of Wednesday�s (7th March) Budget, PCG has called
on Chancellor Gordon Brown to repeal IR35 and begin �a root
and branch simplification of the tax system.�
Here
The PCG team will be closely monitoring the Budget news and
posting relevant announcements to the PCG Legal and Accounting
forum.
Forum
Link (having problems?? have
you read this...)
Mailing to Membership
By now all members should have received a PCG mailing including
the new PCG Guide to Contracting and the on-line Guide to Member
Benefits. Please pass on the brochures to non-member contractors
and pass the Portal guide to your clients � explaining how they
can use the service.
Here
If you have not yet received the guides please contact [email protected]
If you need to update your contact details � email / telephone
/ address etc use the Update Contact Details section of the
site;
Here
Direct Contractors
It has recently been suggested that the engagement of a contractor
directly by a client (without an agency) carries the risk of
the contractor being held to be an employee of the client, and
entitled to employment rights. This is misleading. Guidance
for contractors and clients on the advantages of using direct
contracts is now available:
Here
Contract Review service
The online contract review system, launched last week has been
a great success � over 500 questionnaires have been completed
so far.
The contract review system provides three key services:
- It provides immediate, independent feedback to the status
of a contract and your overall business.
- The system is linked through to PCG approved contract reviewers
if you need a full expert opinion on your status.
- Over time the database of contracts will allow us to better
understand the pass / fail status of contracts.
User guidance notes and FAQs are available;
Here
CC Elections � Vote now
Full voting for the CC elections is now open. Twenty-four candidates
were nominated and are seeking one of 17 available places. These
elections come at a critical time for PCG � and the new CC will
have the chance to shape the future of YOUR representative body
� so vote now!
Here
Write to your MP
PCG is still urging all members to write to write to your MP
in advance of any general election. Educate your MP on the effect
of IR35 on your business and record your correspondence in the
MPs database. A briefing document, sample letter and the updated
MP database are
Here
General Election
PCG is also urging all members � especially those overseas to
make sure they are registered and able to vote. UK residents
and ex pats should use
http://www.rollingregistration.co.uk/
http://www.postalvotes.co.uk/
Countdown to JR
With less than two weeks to go before the start of the Judicial
Review, the PCG team is working hard to ensure it can present
the best possible case and keep members informed of events.
Full details of the JR coverage will be sent out very soon.
If you would like to contribute to the legal fund
Here
Portal success
The latest Portal success story is reported in the General discussion
forums including some useful advice regarding setting up business
relationships and contracts for working with clients, agents
and sub-contractors.
Forum
Link (having problems?? have
you read this...)
REGIONAL NEWS
For the latest information and to start a local group see
Forum Link
(having problems?? have
you read this...)
Let us promote your local meet - email [email protected]
with REGIONS in the subject matter, details of the event and
a name and email contact point/or phone number for further information.
Currently, members are looking to organise meets in West Midlands,
Falkirk, Holland, Seattle, Thames Valley, Yorkshire (Bradford)
and Alberta, Canada!
PCG Shop
PCG badges - which can help with identification problems at
regional meetings � and PCG T-shirts are available from the
PCG
Shop.
Susie Hughes
(Head of Executive Services)
This newsletter is published by the Professional Contractors
Group. Please feel free to circulate the newsletter to other
independent contractors who you know, and who may be interested
in joining the PCG. Some links in the newsletter will take
you into the password-protected members' area of the PCG
website. If you have forgotten your password, contact https://www.pcgroup.org.uk/scripts/public/access/form.pl
To view the Forum links in this newsletter, you must be
first logged into the Forum. Further details available at https://www.pcgroup.org.uk/members/discussion_forum.html
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