Disguised employment

It looks like the end of an expensive legal battle for former BBC Look North presenter, Christa Ackroyd, 62. She's lost her tax tribunal appeal against an HMRC demand that she pay some £420k in back income tax and National Insurance. The court ruled that she was effectively an employee at Look North between 2001 and 2013, and couldn't avoid the liability.

In the first hearing, the tribunal accepted her evidence "that it was the BBC who suggested that Ms Ackroyd should work using a personal service company". Now it remains to be seen how generous the BBC will be with the £12m it has set aside to help in such cases. In September, Joanna Gosling, Tim Willcox and David Eades lost a similar case of 'disguised employment'; their combined liability is some £920k. The BBC said then "We want to help presenters resolve any historic tax issues they face because of the way their employment status is now being assessed. ... We understand and regret the stress this has put people under, and have set out the principle."