Comments on: E & Y claim people aren’t interested in the ‘tax amnesty’ http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/05/22/e-y-claim-people-arent-interested-in-the-tax-amnesty/ Richard Murphy on tax and corporate accountability Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:49:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: roger rabbit http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/05/22/e-y-claim-people-arent-interested-in-the-tax-amnesty/#comment-66861 roger rabbit Wed, 23 May 2007 10:03:19 +0000 http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/05/22/e-y-claim-people-arent-interested-in-the-tax-amnesty/#comment-66861 Richard is absolutely right and for reputational reasons it would be very surprising indeed, would it not, if the bigger firms reported that vast numbers of their existing or prospective client were criminal tax evaders. So an utterly meaningless comment from E+Y in my opinion. The business of all tax advisers, and of the Big 4 in particular, is fees. Fees only arise when you give advice and big fees only arise when you give complex advice. And tax advice does not consist in telling people eg to hide money offshore and not declare it - it consists in complex, but (purportedly) legal structures for avoidance. The firms who might tell clients to hide money offshore and otherwise not declare income are the technically inept or incompetent, the bottom feeder bookkeepers and the criminals. Most of these firms, I would venture to suggest, would be in the unregulated areas or offshore, with commission paid being an important commercial arm-twister. Richard is absolutely right and for reputational reasons it would be very surprising indeed, would it not, if the bigger firms reported that vast numbers of their existing or prospective client were criminal tax evaders. So an utterly meaningless comment from E+Y in my opinion.

The business of all tax advisers, and of the Big 4 in particular, is fees. Fees only arise when you give advice and big fees only arise when you give complex advice. And tax advice does not consist in telling people eg to hide money offshore and not declare it - it consists in complex, but (purportedly) legal structures for avoidance.

The firms who might tell clients to hide money offshore and otherwise not declare income are the technically inept or incompetent, the bottom feeder bookkeepers and the criminals.

Most of these firms, I would venture to suggest, would be in the unregulated areas or offshore, with commission paid being an important commercial arm-twister.

]]> By: Gareth http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/05/22/e-y-claim-people-arent-interested-in-the-tax-amnesty/#comment-66678 Gareth Wed, 23 May 2007 07:52:59 +0000 http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/05/22/e-y-claim-people-arent-interested-in-the-tax-amnesty/#comment-66678 And quite frankly, if people aren't interested, more fool them. I was quite entertained by this article from Accountancy Age: http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2188240/vips-famous-face-hmrc-wrath and in particular the last comment from John Cassidy of PKF, that they're expecting tax-dodging VIPs to face show trials. Admittedly, Gordon Brown was accused of being Stalinist recently, but I think that's taking it a little far... And quite frankly, if people aren’t interested, more fool them.

I was quite entertained by this article from Accountancy Age:

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2188240/vips-famous-face-hmrc-wrath

and in particular the last comment from John Cassidy of PKF, that they’re expecting tax-dodging VIPs to face show trials. Admittedly, Gordon Brown was accused of being Stalinist recently, but I think that’s taking it a little far…

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