Certifications are an effective way to learn new skills, achieve higher daily rates, and land the top clients – but with thousands on the market, which ones should IT contractors aim to achieve in 2018?

Following news that a consultation will take place on extending the off-payroll IR35 rules to the private sector, Paul Gough asks whether this is just putting off the inevitable, or is the Chancellor going to take a proper look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the public sector IR35 situation?

The Chancellor delivered his latest Budget at 12.30 today. For contractors, there is no immediate extension of the ‘off-payroll’ IR35 rules to the private sector, but a consultation will be launched to cover this eventuality.

A rapidly growing petition, asking the Chancellor not to consider extending the ‘off-payroll’ IR35 changes to the private sector, has received over 10,000 signatures – meaning that the Government is compelled to respond.

GDPR, or the European General Data Protection Regulation, comes into effect on 25th May 2018. It’s a new regulation that every business in the country needs to be aware of, but what exactly is GDPR and how is it likely to affect clients and contractors?

With the tax differential between limited company owners and traditional workers substantially reduced due to successive dividend tax hikes, why don’t policymakers take into account the extra costs contractors have to bear compared to employees?

As more and more people decide by choice or otherwise to work for themselves, rather than become traditional employees, the difference in the way groups of workers are taxed has become front-page news.

As a result of the upcoming snap General Election, the Government has had to ditch most of the proposed Finance Bill 2017. The dividend allowance cut to £2,000 has been ditched (for now), but the public sector IR35 changes remain.