Jim Graham Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I agree. The whole tax system is a mess and needs simplifying. We have super rich individuals and corporations running rings around HMRC. I've no idea what the answer is, but villification of a few soft targets won't make much difference. Enjoyable as it is to see Carr's hypocrisy laid bare, his tax avoidance pales into insignificance when measured against Boots or Vodaphone or... I know I get accused of being a Labour basher but sometimes they deserve it and taxation is one area where Gordon, I don't recall that, Brown does deserve a good kicking every single time. I recently came across some old Private Eyes from 2001/2 and in it are some interesting facts about HMRC under GB. In 2001 HMRC published a report called Reviews of Links With Business in which it put forward no less than 40 recommendations to allow big businesses to assess their own tax liabilities. This was after 20 big businesses had "seconded" accounting staff to HMRC to find out legal ways of avoiding tax. Of course, the 20 companies refused to let HMRC staff be seconded to their own businesses in case they started snooping around. Under Labour and GB it appears that HMRC were encouraged to make a culture change to get away from their fuddy duddy image as tax inspectors who collect taxes and stamp out tax avoidance schemes. You couldn't make it up really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clegane Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think the level of envy, spite and hatefulness against people who have made a few quid is pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 So is paying your Taxes else the whole machine grinds to a halt. I have a city car, family car and a van, all taxed and insured, I pay may taxes and son's uni fee's also, because of which I don't buy rounds, own 3 pairs of shoes and havent been on hols for 4 years. Cut ya cloth and pay ya way. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think the level of envy, spite and hatefulness against people who have made a few quid is pathetic. You think this is bad! You can almost feel the hate seeping off the vituperative comments when they discuss benefit cheats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riche Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think the level of envy, spite and hatefulness against people who have made a few quid is pathetic. Few quid????????? Are you for real. More that half the world starves and you make a dumn ass comment like that. Get real. I envy no one who as made a better life for themselves, we are talkin about millions here and the tax on that in massive. How much does a person realy need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sibon Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 At least Boots and Vodaphone employ people, Tony Blair would have been a better comparison because he is another comedian that avoided tax. I think my comparison is very valid. Some companies avoid vast sums of tax, that leaves the rest of us to pick up the tab. Truly immoral behaviour. In my opinion, the tax affairs of our large corporations should be widely publicised. Then I could decide which companies I spend my money with. I'd be choosing the ones that pay their dues. I don't shop at Boots anymore, nor do I use Vodaphone. Sadly, I've no idea whether the alternatives that I use are any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I agree. The whole tax system is a mess and needs simplifying. We have super rich individuals and corporations running rings around HMRC. I've no idea what the answer is, but villification of a few soft targets won't make much difference. Enjoyable as it is to see Carr's hypocrisy laid bare, his tax avoidance pales into insignificance when measured against Boots or Vodaphone or... Spot on there Sibon. Places like Amazon don't pay UK tax on profits earned from UK buyers because they're based in Luxembourg afaik. In this case it's a double whammy for HMRC as Amazon has taken so much trade away from the traditional High Street. I'm not trying to preach here, I regularly buy off Amazon, but the least the government can (should) do is make sure they pay tax on profits earned from the UK public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincero dOro Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Spot on there Sibon. Places like Amazon don't pay UK tax on profits earned from UK buyers because they're based in Luxembourg afaik. In this case it's a double whammy for HMRC as Amazon has taken so much trade away from the traditional High Street. I'm not trying to preach here, I regularly buy off Amazon, but the least the government can (should) do is make sure they pay tax on profits earned from the UK public. But equally there are companies such as Rio Tinto Zinc and BP who hardly operae at all in the UK but declare their profits here. It's swings and roundabouts in that respect. Then of course you have the likes of Jenson Button who races 20 times a year but only once in the UK. He lives in Monaco. How would you tax him? I think if we have an equitable tax system people will pay taxes here, but if we overtax like the Wilson Government at 87% we should hardly be surprised that high earners shift their affairs abroad. Unfortunately when ex Prime Ministers such as Tony Blair set up labarynths of tax avoidance measures to avoid their obligations we can hardly be surprised when minor celebrities follow suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The tax rate of 40% doesn't come in at that high a level, you start paying it if you earn a little less than 42 and a half thousand. Not many people on a salary around that can afford accountants. Stick another band in then. Two. One at say 100k and one at 2million, both of which are light years away from 42k. Don't make them high either - 20 to 30% maybe. I'm all for making as much money as you can but pay your dues. 1% is pretty outrageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The rest of his income being in a different form of 'income' for tax purposes. Not being 'income' at all, but being a 'loan' which attracts no interest and which he will never have to repay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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