You will probably have heard me sounding off at fairly regular intervals about how inconsistent and impossible to judge the average IR35 case is. I’ve looked at many appeal judgements over the years and each one has been supportable, given the vague nature of that which is being judged.

It is interesting to note that before an MP takes his or her seat in the House they are required, by a law dating back to 1562, to swear or affirm an oath of allegiance to the Crown. Perhaps surprisingly they do not make any promises to behave but rely on a long tradition of honest and open behaviour instead.

I’ve been having a funny old week at work. For once I’ve got up to date on my deliverables and am waiting on assorted worthies to review and respond to the results. Meanwhile the technical team next door are working all hours God sent to keep up, while my in tray is almost empty. Well, it makes for a quiet, if rather boring life.

Another judgement has been handed down that looks like it will further clarify the eternally vexed question of when is an employee not an employee.

The inaugural meting of the shiny new IR35 Forum is on Friday 6th May. This is the body that Mr Osborne has charged with “improving the administration of IR35”. Which, given the present state of he administration of IR35, is a pretty open-ended kind of brief.

My blog for June last year was commenting on the first budget of the new Coalition government. It got a cautious welcome from me – which they no doubt appreciated greatly – and while the overall news wasn’t that wonderful, it at least looked like things were heading in the right direction.

Now the dust has settled on the OTS report, it’s been fascinating to see the various reactions to it. Most interestingly, nobody seems to have focused on the biggest potential recommendation, that IR35 be suspended with immediate effect. Which is a shame, really.

Big news of the day is the release of the Office for Tax Simplification’s report on Small Business Taxation. Well, big news for freelance contractors anyway. This is because this is the report that lays out what they think should happen to IR35.

You may recall I wrote last week about there being an apparent majority of recruitment consultants who don’t actually know what they’re doing, much less understand what (or rather who) it is they’re selling, Sadly that also seems to be true of contractors themselves.

Traditionally this is the Silly Season, when the Press have to file stories about singing sheep to fill the papers since there is no real news to talk about. But actually there are not one but two interesting stories to ponder this week.

Mostly people see the announcement in the Budget as a positive step forward, and even those who previously seemed to have found a new enthusiasm for IR35 seem to have gone quiet.

Contractor accountants can pass on this welcome news for freelancers and sole traders from Mark Prisk, the small business minister. In a recent interview he said that the comprehensive review the coalition is going to undertake of business taxation will seek to replace IR35 with a long-term alternative.