May 2010

Here’s what’s been hitting the headlines over recent weeks:

FEATURE ARTICLE

Contractors have no right to sue agencies over IR35: Contractors stung by IR35 who attempt to sue agencies have no grounds for action. MORE...

NEWS ROUND-UP

What contractors can expect from new coalition government: The release of the detailed initial agreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats may be a cause for cautious optimism among contractors. MORE...

Heathrow third runway scrapped: The new Conservative -Liberal coalition government has agreed to cancel Heathrow’s third runway and to block further runways at both Stansted and Gatwick. MORE...

Olympic workforce grows: The Olympic workforce has increased in size, bringing it closer to 10,000, according to figures that have recently been released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). MORE...

King’s Cross to get new public square: A new public square is to be built at King’s Cross. The announcement comes after plans by the King’s Cross Central Limited Partner Ltd. were approved by the London Borough of Camden. MORE...

Tube buyout could affect work: Transport for London (TFL)’s recent £310 million buyout of the public partnership tube upgrade contractor Tube Lines has prompted fears that this could mean a reduction in work. MORE...

New coalition Government must invest in construction: The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has called on the new Conservative and Liberal coalition government to invest in the UK’s construction industry. MORE...

BSI joins SSIP forum: The British Standards Institution (BSI) has become a formal member of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) forum, making it the first BS OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) 18001 certification body to gain such recognition. MORE...

Scrapping IR35 not the solution: Many self-employed contractors may have been hoping that the new coalition government would scrap the IR35 legislation. However, these hopes have been dashed when the Tories said that repealing the legislation was not viable. MORE...

HMRC increases revenue: Since 2005, HM Revenue and Customs has adopted a no mercy strategy that has seen a significant increase in revenues clawed back from tax evaders. MORE...

Office of Fair Trade to examine ownership of infrastructure: The Office of Fair Trade (OFT) has said that it will be conducting a stock-take of the control and ownership of the UK’s infrastructure. MORE...

Lack of finance for office construction: A recent report by Reuters suggests that hefty margins on prime London office construction finance and nervous lenders, could delay speculative building until 2014 and stop developers from timing their projects to coincide with anticipated increase in rents. MORE...

Industry deaths drop to record low: The number of fatalities in the construction industry fell for the third year running, bringing the number of deaths to a record low. MORE...

Confusion over HMRC powers: One year after HMRC’s new compliance checks and inspection powers were introduced, tax agents are still finding it difficult to adjust to the new regime. MORE...

Construction Industry fears new tax warning letters: Many people in the construction industry have concerns over the possibility that automatic warning letters will be sent to SME employers who are late in paying their tax. MORE...

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