Figures used by the Bank of England to track UK-based freelancers show that average incomes dropped by more than 30% in the first half of the year. A report from the freelancer trade body IPSE says the self-employed saw their average earnings fall from £22,742 per quarter at the start of the year to £15,709 at the end of June. Andrew Chamberlain of IPSE has called for broader Government support for freelancers, including around taxation. He said IR35 tax rule changes, due to come into force in April but delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus crisis, should be scrapped. The reform is set to shift the responsibility of assessing the tax status of contractors from the individual to the employer.
Read more: The Daily Telegraph