Theories On The Causes Of Parkinson’s Disease

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is unclear, but there is some evidence that genetics, environmental factors, or a combination of both which play a role. It is also likely that the disease has more than one cause. Scientists commonly agree that Parkinson’s disease is caused by a combination of biology and climate in the majority of people who have it.

There is already a tremendous amount of research being conducted in order to find out what causes Parkinson’s disease and if it can be prevented or cured. When doctors diagnose Parkinson’s disease, they often use the word “idiopathic” (ID-ee-oh-PATH-ik).

There are also studies that have linked pesticides and herbicides to Parkinson’s Disease, tremors, and renal failure and paraquat lawsuits are being filed by lawyers in Evansville, Indiana.

Factors of origin of Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists estimate that hereditary factors account for fewer than 10% of Parkinson’s disease cases. The most common genetic effect that causes Parkinson’s disease is a mutation in the LRRK2 gene. The LRRK2 mutation is more common in families with North African or Jewish ancestry. Mutations in alpha-synuclein have also been found to cause Parkinson’s disease, but these are extremely rare. In the majority of cases, no primary genetic cause can be identified. Beate Ritz’s presentation on Genes and the Environment can be seen here.

Environmental considerations

Certain environmental factors, such as prolonged exposure to pesticides or heavy metals, as well as repetitive head injuries, may raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Most people do not have a specific environmental cause for their Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, and since several years can pass between exposure to an environmental factor and the start of Parkinson’s disease symptoms, establishing the connection is often difficult. However, it is likely that environmental factors do affect the development of Parkinson’s disease, perhaps more so in people who are also genetically predisposed.

Such potential dangers

Other factors can increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Since Parkinson’s disease is most often present in adults over the age of 50, age is the most important risk factor (although diagnoses can occur in much younger people). Men are also more likely than women to develop Parkinson’s disease. Caucasians seem to be more affected by Parkinson’s disease than African Americans or Asians. The exact associations between each of these causes and Parkinson’s disease are unknown.

If you are contemplating working through an umbrella company, you will likely spend a large amount of time comparing your options. In doing so, you will almost certainly see advertisements from umbrella companies that claim to offer “90% plus take home pay”.

As a contractor seeking to maximise their earnings, 90% take home pay sounds like a dream come true – but unfortunately, these claims can quickly turn into a nightmare.

90% take home pay is never feasible

The idea of being able to keep 90% of what you earn may be tempting, but it can only be achieved under a very specific set of circumstances. Let’s crunch the numbers:

• The rate of tax is the rate that anyone earning above the tax-free personal allowance must pay by law.
• Everyone receives a tax-free personal allowance of £11,850.
• Anything earned after this amount is taxable. This means that anyone in full-time employment must pay tax, as a full 40-hour week at the national minimum wage exceeds the tax-free allowance threshold. If you work full time, you must pay tax.
• If you earn between £11,851 and £46,350, you will pay 20% of your taxable income in tax.
• If you earn between £46,351 and £150,000, you will pay 40% in tax.
• If you earn over £150,000, you will pay 45%.

Given the above, we can conclude that unless you are earning less than your personal allowance of £11,850, you must pay tax at a rate of 20%.

So how can you legally achieve a take home pay of 90% – which is just a 10% tax rate – with an umbrella company? You can’t. It’s illegal.

So why do companies advertise 90% take home pay?

There are two reasons an umbrella company may advertise a 90% take home pay, and neither are positive:

• They are advertising this rate with a caveat – i.e. you can achieve this rate if you earn less than your personal allowance. This isn’t technically a lie as it can be true, but if you work full-time, you will definitely earn over your personal allowance – so really, it’s just marketing spin that applies to only a tiny percentage of contractors.
• More worryingly, a 90% take home pay could indicate that the umbrella company are involved in a tax avoidance scheme. If this is the case, working through such a company could have catastrophic consequences for you in the future.

HMRC and tax avoidance

Tax avoidance schemes are always illegal.

If HMRC find that you owe money in unpaid taxes, they will issue a demand for payment. You can try to argue that you did not avoid tax – your umbrella company did – but HMRC have the power to demand you ‘pay now, dispute later’. Due to this, you would still need to pay the back-taxes even if it is the umbrella company who were at fault. You could then dispute this with HMRC and claim a refund, but only after you have settled the debt in full – and even then, there’s no guarantee that the appeal would be successful.

So what should you do instead?

• Ignore companies that claim to offer you 90% take home pay, as this cannot be legal. This point cannot be overstated enough; there is no such thing as a legal or permitted tax avoidance scheme – no matter what companies claim on their website!
• Look for an umbrella company that pays you via the PAYE system
• Check all monies received to ensure that you are paying the right rate of tax for your income.

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