Vaughan Hart

Members of the Scottish Building Federation (SBF) and the Scottish Decorators’ Federation (SDF) have until September 22 to complete an online survey about CITB proposals to amend arrangements for the Construction Levy, which are due to take effect for a three year period starting in April 2018.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) will be contacting all of its members directly in order to ascertain their views.

Since its establishment in 1964, CITB has consulted industry every three years on future arrangements for the Construction Levy. Across the UK, a total of 14 organisations are prescribed to respond to this consultation process based on a consensus of their members’ views. SBF, SPOA and SDF are the only wholly Scottish membership bodies to feature on this list of prescribed organisations.

With the introduction of the new UK Apprenticeship Levy, payable by large employers across all industries in the UK from April this year, CITB is proposing to adjust arrangements for the Construction Levy to reflect concerns from larger construction employers about the financial impact of having to contribute to both levies simultaneously.

To address these concerns, CITB is proposing that, from April 2018, the rate of contributions to the Construction Levy through employees’ PAYE should be reduced from 0.5% to 0.35%. At 1.25%, it proposes that the rate of net contributions made to the Construction Levy by subcontractors through the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) should remain the same as currently applies.

Commenting on the survey, Scottish Building Federation managing director, Vaughan Hart, said: “As one of three recognised consensus federations representing the Scottish construction industry, SBF is keen to hear the views of our many hundreds of members located throughout Scotland about proposals for the future of the Construction Levy currently being put out to consultation by CITB. This is an important opportunity for industry employers to make their views known and I would encourage as many SBF Members as possible to fill out our short online questionnaire.”

Scottish Decorators’ Federation chief executive, Ian Rogers, added: “This is probably the most important vote on consensus that has taken place since CITB was established in 1964. As employers are aware, CITB has gone through many changes over the last few years which have often been detrimental to the industry’s prospects.

“During this time, we have consistently argued that CITB needs to listen carefully to the voice of industry bodies. By responding to our survey, SDF members have an opportunity to make their voices heard and instigate much needed change.”