In 2020 the Department of Business Enterprise and Industry Skills (BEIS) introduced legislation which requires every employment business (‘agency’) to produce information on pay to those candidates that it intends to supply. This is a step that should be taken before the agency enters into any contract with the candidate. Since the launch of the legislation, it is understood that compliance with the requirement has not been good, and BEIS has recently upgraded is capacity to look into this and complaints that arise.

The government has today announced legislation, in response to the current strike action by rail workers and the threat of industrial action from other sectors. The legislation will allow the supply of agency workers to replace workers taking part in industrial action. Is this something that should be welcomed by the industry? Or is it likely to cause more problems and are there more important areas surrounding compliance that should be addressed.

In this country we have the belief, encouraged by successive administrations, that it’s ok to be self employed or work via a company. After all, you can buy a company off the shelf at the click of a few buttons for less than £25. Once set up you are entitled to a host of business tax reliefs whilst at the same time saving anyone you work for the trouble of paying out employer NICs. What could be better?

Whatever investment you plan to make it is always wise to check the facts behind the proposal, particularly if the advice source is not regulated, and history shows that a failure to do so can be very expensive, particularly when it comes down to tax avoidance.