Petition · past parliament
Reform the IR35 Tax Regulations introduced in 2000.
Closed
251 signatures
What the petition asks
The IR35 Regulations, introduced in 2000 to address the differences in liabilities due to HMRC between an employee and a self-employed freelance contractor providing services under a limited company, is a highly subjective, unclear and disproportionate piece of legislation that should be amended.
Specific reforms sought are:
Absolute clarity for a contractor of his/her IR35 status prior to a contract being signed so that appropriate rates can be negotiated.
Within IR35 status calculations:
Have sufficient allowances for expenses, particularly for travelling freelance contractors (rather than just 5% currently).
Exempt ENICs from the IR35 calculations, as regular employees do not pay ENICs.
Build sufficient allowances into the calculations to recognise a lack of employee benefits.
Absolute clarity for a contractor of his/her IR35 status prior to a contract being signed so that appropriate rates can be negotiated.
Within IR35 status calculations:
Have sufficient allowances for expenses, particularly for travelling freelance contractors (rather than just 5% currently).
Exempt ENICs from the IR35 calculations, as regular employees do not pay ENICs.
Build sufficient allowances into the calculations to recognise a lack of employee benefits.
Timeline
| 25 May 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 25 Nov 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
251
Status
Closed
Opened
25 May 2016
Closed
25 Nov 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.