The cost of uncertainty

The BBC is becoming increasingly frank about its role in pushing some presenters to Personal Service Company status - yesterday's news release was the frankest yet

"We have acknowledged that many years ago the BBC introduced a policy of engaging certain freelance presenters through PSCs. We believe it’s right we bear some of the cost of the uncertainty around employment status misclassification for affected presenters, while fulfilling our responsibility to ensure value for money for the licence fee payers."

And, in negotiations-with-the-HMRC-through-press releases, the BBC has put a limit on how much it'll cough up - "covering the difference between the PAYE and National Insurance contributions due from the PSC on BBC income under IR35 and the corporation tax payable by the PSC and dividend tax payable by the shareholders of the PSC on BBC income."

But, perhaps spurred on by the Lorraine judgement, some will continue to take on both HMRC and the BBC through tribunals - some of which have now been dragging in a Kafka-esque triangle for three years.