Yes, many countries have rules affecting contractors, but the UK's IR35 is unusually aggressive and damaging. It wasn't designed to stop "abuse" - it was designed to limit economic independence for individuals running small service - based businesses.

The idea that "too much working freedom" is unsustainable in high-tax countries reflects a deeply top-down, corporatist mindset. It assumes that ordinary people being in control of how they work is somehow a problem to be fixed - especially if they start competing with entrenched players.

In reality, IR35 wasn't about tax fairness. It was a response to small businesses becoming too competitive - delivering the same services as large consultancies, but with more agility and less overhead. The legislation didn't level the playing field - it tilted it to protect big corporations from small rivals, using misleading narratives to justify it.

Other countries may have similar pressures, but few have responded by attacking independent economic agency as directly as the UK has.