Re: Rolling out to private sector is the right thing to do. @Hmmm...
Speaking as an *employee* who travels 200 miles (each way) for work and also thus pays a whole chunk of cash for the privilege (travel, accommodation etc) — that chunk of cash comes out of my *taxed* earnings. It's not a business expense. It's a personal expense.
So if *I* have to cough it all up from taxed income then so should *you* for, what is in effect, the same thing. Don't go crying to mama HMRC about that one just because you can't get a contract close to home every time. (If anything, we should *all* campaign for "getting to work" expenses to be pre-tax!).
"But you could live nearer work" I hear you cry. "Or you could work nearer home". Yeah, maybe. But it's 2018 in case you haven't noticed. Unless I want to work in a low-paid hospitality or service job, or be stuck in a forever-entry-level support role in some minor business, then I need to travel to get a job worth having. Moving house (and uprooting family and all) isn't an option; aside from the hassle, I can't afford to live within sane commuter range of where I would need to work. All the employee benefits, perks, sickness and holiday malarky doesn't help me with this one - I have to pay to travel *just like you do* so why should I be unfairly taxed on it compared to a contractor?
A/C (because someone trying to minimise their income will moan).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
