Survey 2: IR35, tell Gordon Brown to.....

Drop It… was the clear message from the survey of more than 1,300 UKTECH voters in its pre-Budget poll to send Gordon Brown an IR35 message.

UKTECH was launched less than 36 hours before this year's Budget (March 21). As contractors will be aware, last year it was not so much a back door Budget announcement, but more of a cat-flap announcement which resulted in IR35.

The low-key manner in which it was announced, via the 35th Revenue Budget press release, was perhaps an indication of the interest that the Revenue and Treasury anticipated. There can have been few other occasions when the Government has so badly under-estimated the strength of feeling.

So much so, that although the Chancellor did not mention IR35 during this year's Budget speech, it was one of the main illustrations of Conservative Leader, William Hague's Budget attack on stealth tax.

In the 36 hours prior to the Budget, UKTECH conducted a poll of readers to find out what message should go to Gordon Brown regarding IR35. More than 1,300 people responded within the first two days of the site's launch - making it one of the most comprehensive polls conducted and nearly ten times greater than similar polls.

The poll attracted 1,320 votes, of which 94 per cent (1,243) thought that Gordon Brown should drop IR35. Four per cent (58 votes) thought that the measure should be postponed - with some qualification that this would allow a period of time during which it could be modified. Less than one per cent, 12 votes, thought that the Chancellor should proceed as planned.

Given the weight of evidence against IR35 presented to the Treasury and Revenue - and Mr Brown personally - which has been ignored during the past 12 months, it will come as no surprise that the Chancellor did not raise the issue during his speech. However, he was forced to sit and listen to the Leader of the Opposition - and subsequent MPs - send him the same message as UKTECH.