Guest sibon Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Surely the title of this thread should be "Who is the best tax shirker?" They're all a lot better at it than me. I've even failed to claim the tax on the professional subscriptions that I have paid for the last 6 years. I therefore nominate myself as the "worst" tax shirker. I'm going to sit in the dunce's corner with you. I don't have any real interest in minimising my tax bill. My contribution seems fair in proportion to my earnings, so I pay it. Of course, others might hire smart accountants and lawyers, with the intention of dodging their responsibility. I'm quite proud that I am not like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaff Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 How many examples in the OP had actually been issued with tax bills for the amounts that have been quoted? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't pay non-existant bills that you have not been issued with. KPMG looks to be the only one that stands out as having done anything illegal, and even then it says dollars, so is it us or the USA that the tax was due to? Agreed you don't pay bills you haven't been issued with however the OP doesn't actually mention illegal in the post, merely asks who the biggest shirker is, and it seems like every one of the examples is a blatant case of tax avoidance via loopholes, which although not technically illegal, deprives the UK of much needed tax revenue. If the small man in the street carried out similar activities the pressure on him would be immense. I know because a friend of mine owns a small chain of businesses and had a lengthy battle with the HMRC over a situation not wholly dissimilar to Mr Green's albeit with much smaller sums of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sibon Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 It's difficult not to understand your politics of envy. There is envy and there is dislike of naked greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uptowngirl Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I doubt Wildcat is a billionaire unlike Green. How much money do these people want? So the multi millionair Tony Blair who has stashed his money in tax avoidance schemes and ghost companies around the world, despite having being in charge of a "so called" Labour Government. What of him? Wasn't he supposed to be the champion who policed all this, yet totally failed to make any effort to change a system, probably because he wanted the loop holes for his own tax avoidance schemes? It is up to governments to impose a taxation scheme and it is duty bound for people to abide by it. So Phillip Green has not actually done anything wrong by planning his tax totally within the system. However a chap opperating a hand car wash for cash in hand has. That is the system that we have despite 13 years of Labour Government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 That is the system that we have despite 13 years of Labour Government. So you'd support any measures brought in to tighten loopholes and crackdown on avoidance would you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I'm going to sit in the dunce's corner with you. I don't have any real interest in minimising my tax bill. My contribution seems fair in proportion to my earnings, so I pay it. Of course, others might hire smart accountants and lawyers, with the intention of dodging their responsibility. I'm quite proud that I am not like that. Lucky for me I'm exempt from income tax and National Insurance because I work for HMRC Lets see how many that hooks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 From the OP, only one of the entities/individuals listed was found guilty of a crime under tax law and awarded a fine. Unless the rules are being changed, it's a silly question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 So you'd support any measures brought in to tighten loopholes and crackdown on avoidance would you? I certainly would, but until that happens it's pointless expecting any business or individual NOT to use the gaping loopholes that anyone of us would use if it meant paying less tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I'm going to sit in the dunce's corner with you. I don't have any real interest in minimising my tax bill. My contribution seems fair in proportion to my earnings, so I pay it. Of course, others might hire smart accountants and lawyers, with the intention of dodging their responsibility. I'm quite proud that I am not like that. I'm a qualified accountant, and I've no idea how this all works now. In fact it's become so complicated the HMRC staff I talk to, and the tax specialists I talk to, don't understand it most of the time. We're all dunces. Too much tinkering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decaff Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 So the multi millionair Tony Blair who has stashed his money in tax avoidance schemes and ghost companies around the world, despite having being in charge of a "so called" Labour Government. What of him? Wasn't he supposed to be the champion who policed all this, yet totally failed to make any effort to change a system, probably because he wanted the loop holes for his own tax avoidance schemes? It is up to governments to impose a taxation scheme and it is duty bound for people to abide by it. So Phillip Green has not actually done anything wrong by planning his tax totally within the system. However a chap opperating a hand car wash for cash in hand has. That is the system that we have despite 13 years of Labour Government. I'm sensing some real dislike towards Tony Blair here, you've mentioned him twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.