Dear HMRC 

As the sun rises on a new decade, let's try to achieve real tax simplification during the next 10 years. Here are a few ideas to help make tax understandable for the public:

As practical accountants, we see the reality of true self-employment for many of our consultant clients.

This is what yesterday's Budget press release should have said to consultants, sub-contractors and freelancers:

The Chancellor delivered a lot of changes that were relatively favourable to small businesses, but in the background a few important adverse changes were made which seem to be because too much money was leaving the Treasury. This is therefore not a bold post-Brexit Budget. 

The detail behind today's speech offered a lot of new consultations and delayed implementation dates to beyond 2019, which seems to me a 'wait and see' how the Brexit negotiations go before finalising a lot of changes.

The speech itself ended with a grand finale announcing the abolition of stamp duty for first time buyers of residential property purchases up to £300k.