Ignore modern slavery compliance at your peril
As we warned some time ago, proposed changes in the law mean that even recruitment agencies with modest turnovers could now be affected by the modern slavery legislation (click here for previous article). The modern slavery reporting obligation currently only applies to businesses with a UK turnover in excess of £36m. Any requirement involving turnover […]
HMRC and the online tool- Have they painted themselves into a corner?
The idea of ‘painting a picture’ in order to make a well-rounded assessment of employment status is a widely acknowledged one. However in light of the more ‘mechanical’ approach soon to be taken by HMRC with regards to arguably one of the most nuanced tests, IR35, a recent case reiterates again the need to make […]
ARC meets HMRC over IR35 online tool
On 6th January, representatives of the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (ARC) attended a meeting with HMRC officials to discuss the proposed new public sector IR35 rules and to comment on the latest version of HMRC’s planned new online tool. “The meeting, which was attended by a number of large agencies and some public sector representatives, […]
Recruiter fined for flouting Conduct Regulations
A stark reminder was handed down recently by the courts – comply with the legislation or face the consequences! The director of Whites Recruitment International pleaded guilty to eight charges contrary to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (Conduct Regulations) for failing to supply workers with the necessary paperwork and for […]
ARC announces conference on Public Sector IR35 and the Apprenticeship Levy
The conference ‘Panic, Penalty or Progress?’ is being held on 9th February 2017 in London at a time when the recruitment and contracting sector faces of some of the most radical changes to affect the industry in recent years. It will bring together keynote speakers and recruitment law experts to explore the challenges facing hirers […]
Negative publicity over AWR ‘breach’
Agencies that do not fully meet their obligations under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (‘AWR’) risk immeasurable damage to their reputations. However, as public awareness of the legislation increases, employers may face negative media attention, even when compliant. The danger was highlighted in the recent Guardian article on the practices of the internet retailer ASOS. […]
Statutory employment payments to rise in 2017
Last week the government announced new rates for statutory employment payments, state pensions and most other benefits. The current weekly rate of statutory adoption, maternity, paternity and shared parental pay will rise from £139.58 to £140.98. Statutory sick pay will also rise from £88.45 to £89.35 a week. The annual increase in payment rates takes […]
New Public Sector IR35 Rules
As was widely anticipated, the draft legislation and guidance published yesterday has confirmed that where a contractor provides services to a public sector hirer and the arrangement is considered to be caught by IR35 the paying party will be obliged to deduct tax and primary NICs from the payment it makes. The gross amount paid […]
ARC comments on fairer tax focus in Autumn Statement
ARC welcomes the Chancellor’s focus on fairer tax within the Autumn Statement; the policy paper states that the ‘government will … consider how the system could be made fairer between workers carrying out the same work under different arrangements’. ARC has long campaigned for a fairer tax system for supplied personnel, arguing that […]
ARC comment on the Autumn Statement 2016
It is clear that many of the measures announced by the Chancellor today in his Autumn Statement will have some impact on the recruitment sector and on labour relations. Ben Grover, External Policy Adviser for the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (ARC) said “As always, the devil will be in the detail and we shall […]