Entrepreneurs

E.Laird writes "Over the past three years I have operated up to three contracts concurrently, on and off.

I am not in the IT sector, but an engineer. My day starts at between 04.30 and 05.00, when I switch on my PC ready to work on one of my smaller issue contracts.

I normally work for one or two hours on this before going off to do a 12 hour day on another contract. On returning to my "digs", because I never manage to get a contract near where I live, I go back to working on the smaller issue contract(s).

This whole episode calls for up to 16 hours of work per day, which I normally stretch through to 3 weeks, after which I take a long weekend off. I can tell you that at this point I am well and truly in need of a break and a rest.

In return I make what I would consider "decent" money, albeit not in the realms of what is bandied about by the so-called jealous brigade. I consider every opportunity offered to me, from clients who see me as contributing good quality work towards their major projects. If I like the contract, and feel I can fit it in, I will take it up. Most of my spare time is spent working like this.

I am an avid book reader, but in the past three years, time has not permitted me to read as many books as I would like to. I see so many reviews of books which I am tempted to buy, but decide against, knowing that I won't have the time to fit it in and would only be wasting my money.

What I would really like to know, is what Mr. Gordon Brown considers an entrepreneur; do I come into this league, or am I considered downright greedy, and a tax cheat to boot!

Is the "true entrepreneur" the guy who gets a government grant, sets up in business and employs a dozen people on sweat shop wages while he coins in the profit. Is this the type of person that this government reveres and holds in high esteem?

My second question is, does Mzz Primarolo think that I should continue to work on in this vein, losing out on my family life by working such long hours to contribute to a society that doesn't seem to care where the finance comes from.

My opinion? I've got a great batch of books I am looking forward to reading in the near future.

I will continue to work on running my business as before, as a REAL entrepreneur, but not on such long ungodly hours. I will also meet the IR right on the line next year.

I am running a business, I am not a tax cheat, and I will dispute this IR35 case all the way. Let's all do the same though, the whole situation will be so overburdened with disputes that the government will wish it had never initiated such a foolish idea.