The APPG for Entrepreneurship’s inquiry will look at how the UK can best support entrepreneurship and innovation in the sharing economy. We are investigating the impact of Government policy, such as taxation and regulation, on this innovative sector. For the purposes of the inquiry, we are defining the sharing economy broadly, encompassing the gig, circular, and on-demand economy too.

Our aim is to understand the parts of the tax and regulatory system that work well, and the parts that are seen as barriers by sharing economy entrepreneurs.

We also want to understand how the UK’s startup ecosystem, more broadly, affects sharing economy entrepreneurs.

We’ve split the call for evidence into two. For entrepreneurs, our questions focus on your experience starting a business, the challenges you have encountered, and your views on whether policy needs to change. For researchers, business representative organisations, and organisations who work with entrepreneurs directly (e.g. VCs, accelerators) we want to know what your own data and research says about how best to help the sector grow.

Feel free to answer only the questions you find relevant.

Please send all submissions as PDF files to sam@tenentrepreneurs.org

The Call for Evidence will close on Friday September 10th.

For Entrepreneurs

Background information

• Briefly describe your background including region, gender, age, ethnic background.

• Tell us about your business.

Regulation

• In general, do you believe the UK’s approach to the regulation of the Sharing Economy is a help or hindrance to the sector’s growth?

• Looking specifically at your business, are there any regulations which you believe prevent you from offering services or competing on a level-playing field with traditional businesses? 

• Recent legal cases looking at self-employment have raised questions about many gig economy models. Have they affected your business? If so, positively or negatively?
  
  On employment regulation, do you believe there is a need for new legal categories to be created to respond to new models of work?

• Are there any areas in the sharing economy, where you believe additional regulation (or clarification of existing regulations) would be beneficial?

• Are there any examples of best practice in regulating the sharing economy from other countries?

• Are there any other issues relating to regulation that you believe we should be aware of?

Taxation

• In general, do you believe the UK’s approach to taxing the Sharing Economy is a help or hindrance to the sector’s growth?

• Do you believe there is certainty about the UK’s approach to business taxation?

• HM Treasury recently put out a consultation on VAT and the Sharing Economy. 

  • What were your views on it? 

  • What would the impact of applying VAT to transactions that take place through gig economy apps between two non-VAT registered businesses have on your business?

  • Do you believe that such a change would be consistent with a level-playing field between online and offline businesses?

  • Would that change affect your business’s ability to raise capital?

  • Should reporting requirements for platforms change?

• What was your view on the recent change to Entrepreneurs Relief restricting it to £1m?

• What is your view on the £1,000 trading and property allowance? Has it helped the Sharing Economy and should it be expanded in any way?

• Is your business prevented at all from accessing investment tax-breaks such as SEIS, EIS and VCTs?

• Has the recent planned rise in corporation tax affected your business?

• Are there any other issues relating to taxation that you believe we should be aware of?

• Are there any examples of best practice in the taxation of the sharing economy from other countries?

Startup Ecosystem

For Researchers and Business Groups

Background information

Regulation

Taxation

Startup Ecosystem

Please send all submissions via email to sam@tenentrepreneurs.org