CITB extends levy review to payroll

The Construction Industry Training Board has extended the remit of its special working party which is reviewing the statutory levy system. It will now examine different ways of applying a levy based on payroll.

Following a meeting of the board last week, working party chairman Dermot McGinley confirmed the consensus was that the CITB should continue to operate a payroll levy.

Various other levy systems had been reviewed. They included a levy based on company turnover, on contract value, and on materials - the latter being strongly advocated by building specialist firms because this would mean that everyone including 'cowboy' and 'black economy' builders would have to pay.

McGinley said none of the alternatives had offered any overwhelming advantages. A levy based on materials, for example, would raise a number of practical difficulties.

"We are now looking at alternative payroll mechanisms," he said. "We are taking into consideration major changes in the industry and ways of collecting the levy. Any proposals might, perhaps, dovetail with moves towards company registration or accreditation. I would expect to complete our work by the middle of next year. The aim is to get a fair and equitable system. "