Should politicians have to publish their tax returns?

[taxman]

Following on from the big spat between Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone about the use of Ltd Companies to pay themselves, George Osborne has said that he is happy for the Government to consider publishing the tax details of ministers.

 

I know it is commonly done in the USA, and is becoming a campaign issue at the moment but do we want it over here?

 

Or is a person's tax affairs a private matter between themselves and HMRC?

[ricgem2002]

i just think they should just pay tax at the same rate as everyone else (without the tax loopholes that seem to only benefit them)

[57Varieties]

It wouldn't matter, most of their wealth is hidden in offshore tax havens.

 

Its so easy to bend the system when you know the system.

 

Most people don't know the system.

 

Only the educated, (self educated, that'll be me) and elites know the system, and its all rigged in favour of the elite.

 

If your working class, you pay taxes.

 

If you have a good accoutant and are self employed, there are so many ways out of paying your fair share.

 

On a positive note: The system is on the verge of collapse anyway, about time. Infinate cash in a finite world leads to hyper inflation

[discodown]

Ken Livingstone should. He's tried to play a campaign of smear politics and dirty tactics all the way through and its backfiring on him. While i'm no fan of Johnson. Boris published his tax returns and they were properly done and above board, so far as I know Ken hasn't yet published his tax returns.

 

Socialist when he has to be the foul creature

[Conrod]

Ken Livingstone should. He's tried to play a campaign of smear politics and dirty tactics all the way through and its backfiring on him. While i'm no fan of Johnson. Boris published his tax returns and they were properly done and above board, so far as I know Ken hasn't yet published his tax returns.

 

Socialist when he has to be the foul creature

Red Ken - another champagne socialist, as all lefties become when they have a bit of cash in their pocket.

They realise their left wing ideals were utterly misguided, but don't have the moral integrity to admit it so live a life of blatant hypocrisy - and their voters just bleet like good little sheep and place another cross in the red box anyway.

[Tony]

It's an interesting proposition, but not one that I'd be especially interested in beyond it stopping the stupid invented class warfare used by some politicians.

 

If we knew what top politicians earned, do we think that Milliband would have been able to do this after the recent budget if we knew what his he and his colleagues earned?

 

Personal privacy is paramount, performance is what's pertinent. This silly green-eyed preoccupation with what others have must stop.

[green]

Its time we ALL printed our tax returns.

 

If you were able to see your next door neighbours tax paid for last year, and its a great big fat zero, whilst he has a Porsche in the drive and hes boasting about his latest yacht hes bought, would you be likely to ask him some serious questions? Would he be so willing to boast, if hes swerving his tax bill?

 

In Norway i believe you can look on the internet and see everyones tax paid.

 

I wonder how quickly the leeches on society would quickly get caught/embarrassed and how quickly could our tax bills come down if EVERYONE who should be paying, was paying.

 

Its time for change.

[taxman]

i just think they should just pay tax at the same rate as everyone else (without the tax loopholes that seem to only benefit them)

 

Do you think everyone should pay tax at the same rate as everyone else?

 

There's nothing to stop you setting yourself up as a limited company and asking that the money you earn be paid into it rather than having PAYE deducted at source.

 

Of course whoever pays your wages might not agree to it, but there's no harm in asking.

 

It worked for HMRC's ex chief information officer.

[taxman]

Ken Livingstone should. He's tried to play a campaign of smear politics and dirty tactics all the way through and its backfiring on him. While i'm no fan of Johnson. Boris published his tax returns and they were properly done and above board, so far as I know Ken hasn't yet published his tax returns.

 

Socialist when he has to be the foul creature

 

There's nothing wrong with monies being paid to a Ltd company when the person involved is not doing employed work. No doubt Ken has lots of different income streams from freelance work, whether it be writing columns in papers or presenting shows on pro-Iranian TV channels, so it makes sense for all that money to be paid outwith the PAYE system. Fiona Bruce does it, Jeremy Paxman does it and the public face of HMRC's adverts Moira Stewart does it.

 

Of course there are other ways in which he could have managed his affairs, as Paddick said, he could have just operated as a sole trader.

 

His trouble is that he's denigrated Boris for doing the same thing re the monies from his TV appearances but when challenged about himself doing it he's blustered, blathered, squirmed and said it was all down to his accountant.

 

He should have stayed quiet about it instead of being a populist goboff.

 

Stones and glass houses.

[Anna B]

Yes. I think it's a good idea. I'd also like a full list of all the companies and directorships they have.

 

I find it hard to understand how someone with such an important job can find time to undertake all these other positions, I would have thought running the country was something you had to do full time to say the least. If they have time to spare they could spend a bit more time in their constituencies talking to people.

 

I'd also love to know what companies Tony Blair has set up to make himself millions, but he probably wouldn't count now. (Has anyone else noticed that since he became peace envoy to the middle east, war and fighting has broken out all over the place...)