Radio presenter loses IR35 case
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a sports radio presenter’s argument that IR35 didn’t apply to his engagements with TalkSPORT. What’s the full story?

The presenter engaged with TalkSPORT via a limited company. HMRC raised assessments totally £143,000 for income tax and NI, on the basis that the was caught by IR35. The First Tier Tribunal sided with the presenter, but this was overturned at the Upper Tribunal, and now the Court of Appeal has also dismissed his appeal.
The Court found that there was mutuality of obligation because Kickabout Productions Limited required TalkSPORT to offer the presenter airtime for at least 222 days per year. The contract also gave TalkSPORT the right to suspend the presenter, which is consistent with a contract of employment. The Court also confirmed that an absence of workers’ rights in the contract did not carry much weight in determining the employment status because, if there was an employment relationship, he would enjoy the rights conferred by law on employees.
This case again shows us the importance of analysing the details of each specific case before assuming the employment status of a particular engagement.
Related Topics
-
How long does a capital loss last?
You’ve made a large capital gain from a recent sale. Capital losses can reduce the amount on which you have to pay tax but the losses you have date back decades and weren’t reported to HMRC. Is it too late to claim tax relief for them?
-
Salary transparency on recruitment
A pay transparency survey has revealed that 70% of employers intend to share salary ranges with external candidates during recruitment ahead of the EU Pay Transparency Directive coming into force. Will this become a legal requirement?
-
HMRC has recently expanded the scope of taxpayers who can arrange a payment plan online. What are the new parameters and conditions?
HMRC has recently expanded the scope of taxpayers who can arrange a payment plan online. What are the new parameters and conditions?