Andy, I empathise with you to a point but this is hardly something new. Companies like Tesco, Barclays, Dixons etc etc haev moved tens of thousands of skilled UK jobs to lower cost economies and I'd be happy though surprised to hear if you've personally stopped shopping somewhere because they have been able to lower prices by doing this.
A similar economic trend is at play in your case albeit the labour is in the UK and serving to reduce the market price for the skills you offer. But, as you imply, it needs to be an even playing field. There are an awful lot of cars with Eastern European plates on round west london now, and with many of these vehicles here for extended periods but not displaying road tax, it's also unlikely they are insured or in some cases even road legal. Likewise, there is a natural question over the taxes some of these individuals pay, though by way of balance the government estimates put the cost of tax avoidance by UK tradesmen at an equivalent to an 8p in the £ reduction in income tax for the whole country so in magnitude the tax avoidance of UK tradesman is in sheer numbers more significant.
You are right to question whether the balance is fair. From what you've written it doesn't appear so.
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