Chris Bryce

CEO at FCSA @FCSA_org Mostly tweet about #freelancing & business post-lockdown, but I also spout some rubbish too (hopefully mostly amusing.)

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

“Ideology is pointless when dealing with Nature.”

Perfect!

[Brian Cox @ProfBrianCox]

Never understood why masks have become a political issue. For me, triple vaxxed, I’m busy and I want to reduce the risk so I can do my work. I might still catch it because I also want to get on with life. It’s all about statistics. Ideology is pointless when dealing with Nature.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

I think the issue is mostly political because a flat income tax rate would require those currently on 20% to really feel the pain since it'd require a flat rate of circa 28% (with no personal allowance change). This would be roughly revenue-neutral against the current 20/40/45 structure.

It'd be a very "brave" politician who proposed that.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Not sure that flat IT is truly workable, but the taper trap has to go. It is grossly unfair.

One of the greatest problems we face is that so many people don't undertsand percentages (and percentage point increases vs percentage increases e.g. the recent ErNICs %age point increase was in fact a 13% increase)

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

I'm mostly with Lawson on this one, but the piecemeal approach is a political choice and probably fear-driven or (worse) "we've always done it that way".

When I served as a contributor to the OTS we spent a lot of time looking at weird and wondeful taxes which raised no money and allowances wbhich make little or no sense - unfortunately progress was slow and the OTS has now been scrapped.

A lot of the UK system's byzantine complexity isn't structural necessity, it's accumulated barnacles: overlapping reliefs, the 60% personal-allowance taper trap, the separate-but-parallel NICs system, hundreds of niche exemptions. Plenty of economists argue you could dramatically simplify fairly straightforwardly: merge income tax and NICs, strip out reliefs, broaden VAT, replace business rates and council tax with a land value tax.

That's a much simpler system than today's, raising the same money, without pretending a single lever can do it.

The tax burden's breadth must stay, the money has to come from several different bases (income, consumption, property, profits) because no one base is both big enough and robust enough to carry it all.

Given that constraint, you can still choose between an ugly/complex broad system and a clean/simple broad system. The current one is the former largely by political accretion, not because the arithmetic demands it.

The honest caveat: simplification always creates losers, and the losers are usually concentrated and vocal while the winners are diffuse, which is precisely why the barnacles never get scraped off. So the byzantine version tends to persist for political reasons, even though a simpler broad-based system is entirely possible on the numbers.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

All well and good, happy for the families who might benefit.

But is this really the best they can do? 🤷🏼‍♂️

https://t.co/tLm7CsQofT

[Jo Caulfield @Jo_Caulfield]

Get yourselves checked ladies 💕

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Great to be at #RECAwards25 to help support the REC and the recruitment industry - a vital contributor to UK plc

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Cost <> worth.

[Tansu Yegen @TansuYegen]

Michelin-starred restaurant's presentation of a smoked apple worth $400🍎

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Is your data someone else's exit strategy?

https://t.co/Lga2BKIp2n

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

@fesshole I sometimes just say “Look up, look up, look up” in as close as an impression as I can get to the “cross now” voice in Bladerunner.

Oh, good grief, I just realised I’m a geek.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

I’d have thought that providing the country and its people with abundant, clean and, hopefully, less expensive energy would count as a big chunk of “social value” 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

So much for Labour’s promise to be ruthless in the pursuit of growth.
Mad Ed Miliband’s tender process for the UK’s planned new fleet of nuclear reactors has descended into farce with bidders required to show a ‘higher-than-usual’ commitment to ‘social value’.
Companies were asked how they would create jobs for those “who face barriers to employment”, which included “refugees, people who have recently immigrated or are seeking asylum”.
The tender said businesses that applied should outline plans to ensure 50 per cent of those working on the contract were women.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

I’m at the #RecruiterAwards representing @FCSA_org and it’s great to see so many familiar faces enjoying the celebration of our industry.

Good luck to all the nominees.

@RecruiterAwards #RecruiterAwards.

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

@ChefReactions Raspberry. Only ever raspberry.

Although, I’m in Britain 🇬🇧

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Welcome aboard Andy.

[FCSA @FCSA_org]

📢 FCSA is delighted to welcome Andy Chamberlain as our new Head of Strategic Policy.

Andy is one of the most respected voices in the self-employed sector, having spent many years at IPSE where he led policy work on IR35, off-payroll reforms, and a wide range of issues affecting freelancers and contractors.

With his wealth of experience, industry knowledge, and commitment to raising standards, Andy will play a key role in strengthening FCSA’s mission to champion compliance, trust, and transparency across the contractor supply chain.

Read more about Andy’s appointment here 👉 https://t.co/OdihKEfEAy

#FCSA #Policy #Contractors #Freelancers #Compliance

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

JSL <> Option 3

IYKYK 👍🏻

[FCSA @FCSA_org]

Shifting PAYE responsibility to recruiters isn’t the fix it seems.

The latest article from The Global Recruiter suggests that recruitment agencies should take over PAYE payments for workers employed through umbrella companies. At first glance, this might sound like a solution, but in practice, it’s a recipe for confusion, delays, and increased risk across the supply chain.

From doubled financial interactions to cash flow challenges, proof and reconciliation issues, and the fact that not all recruiters have the expertise or compliance track record needed, this model fails to protect workers or simplify compliance.

The sector already has the tools and frameworks to ensure real-time transparency and accountability, such as licensed umbrellas and veriPAYE verification. Strengthening these safeguards is the real solution.

Read the full analysis here: https://t.co/aTIQFEA04g

[FCSA @FCSA_org]

Shifting PAYE responsibility to recruiters isn’t the fix it seems.

The latest article from The Global Recruiter suggests that recruitment agencies should take over PAYE payments for workers employed through umbrella companies. At first glance, this might sound like a solution, but in practice, it’s a recipe for confusion, delays, and increased risk across the supply chain.

From doubled financial interactions to cash flow challenges, proof and reconciliation issues, and the fact that not all recruiters have the expertise or compliance track record needed, this model fails to protect workers or simplify compliance.

The sector already has the tools and frameworks to ensure real-time transparency and accountability, such as licensed umbrellas and veriPAYE verification. Strengthening these safeguards is the real solution.

Read the full analysis here: https://t.co/aTIQFEA04g

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

Hang on, in those documentaries I watched this doesn’t turn out too well. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Colossal Biosciences® @colossal]

Meet Romulus & Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals brought back from extinction using DNA from 72,000-year-old fossils.

Follow to watch these dire wolves grow and to discover the next species we’re working to bring back.

[FCSA @FCSA_org]

Payslip verification, now free for recruitment agencies.

We’re pleased to announce that veriPAYE – our secure, real-time payslip verification tool – is now free to use for recruitment agencies.

And it’s not just for umbrella workers anymore. veriPAYE now supports:
✅ Umbrella (contract of employment)
✅ Umbrella Worker
✅ CIS (Construction Industry Scheme)
✅ PEO (Professional Employment Organisation)
✅ PEO worker

That means agencies can verify pay accuracy and compliance across more engagement models, helping to protect workers, reduce risk, and build supply chain trust.

Find out how veriPAYE works and register for free access here: https://t.co/qt6JQueP9S

#veriPAYE #RecruitmentCompliance #PayrollVerification #FCSA #CIS #PEO #Umbrella

[FCSA @FCSA_org]

Mandatory Identity Verification is Coming to Companies House

From 18 November 2025, new rules will require directors and PSCs to verify their identity—part of the government’s effort to improve transparency and reduce fraud.

This change affects everyone across the labour supply chain, including umbrellas and recruitment businesses.

🔎 We break down:
✔️ What’s changing
✔️ Who’s affected
✔️ What action you need to take
✔️ How tools like Diligence Hub can help

📖 Read the full update: https://t.co/Q8v9PI0rXW

#FCSA #IdentityVerification #CompaniesHouse #DueDiligence #SupplyChainCompliance #CorporateTransparency #DiligenceHub

[Chris Bryce @cjbryce]

@TalkTV I rarely comment on such deaths, but I do have fond memories of The James Whale Radio Show. On ITV, about one in the morning.

His views, especially in later years, were trenchant and often not in accord with my own, but nonetheless I enjoyed the JWRS.