SIR – Why does Labour whether in government or opposition always have an air of George Orwell’s Animal Farm about it, ie, all are equal but some more equal than others?
For example, David Miliband MP in his post-leadership contest life, is said to be considering a Premier League club directorship, has given lectures in the Middle East, or may yet do something for the BBC.
Companies House records show a new private limited company called The Office of David Miliband Ltd, formed in 2010, which presumably will be the conduit for any earnings outside his official job as MP for South Shields, which is perfectly legal.
However, many self-employed contractors in the IT sector working for different companies on a casual basis found the previous Labour government stopped them from enjoying the legal entity and associated preferential tax status of a limited company, by imposing an HM Revenue & Customs decree, called IR35.
This effectively made them mere part-time employees, subject to PAYE tax and normal NICs, without any job security, a serious disadvantage to personal enterprise.
D S Boyes, Rodley Lane, Leeds
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