One of those from the Right who is apt to comment on this blog has noted that earlier today I said in my blog on Tescos that
Tax planning and tax avoidance are both normal and legal
My response is to quote President Roosevelt’s Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, who said:
if taxes are the price of civilized society, [...]
From Hansard, 14 May 2008:
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue that would be raised in 2008-09 if the upper limit on national insurance contributions were abolished. [205248]
Jane Kennedy: The yield from removing the upper earnings limit for employees Class 1 National Insurance contributions is around [...]
The Guardian has admitted that it libelled Tescos in its articles (no longer available on the web) published in February in which it alleged that Tesco avoided corporation tax using a complex offshore structure. This follows the apology it published two weeks ago.
I have advised the Guardian, but not on the original stories it published [...]
A poll by the FT shows that:
Strong majorities in five European countries - ranging from 76 per cent in Spain to 87 per cent in Germany - consider that income inequality is too great.
But 78 per cent of respondents in the US, traditionally seen as more tolerant of income inequality, also think the gap is [...]
Neasa MacErlean had an interesting review of the next round of tax changes likely in the UK in the Observer today. She was kind enough to quote some of my thoughts, but more interesting was a comment from BDO’s senior tax partner Stephen Herring. He is reported to have said:
that a cut in corporation tax [...]
A good article by Carl Mortished in the Times this morning. This is an extract, after he notes the considerable difficulties Alastair Darling is having in finding anyone to pay the cost of running the UK’s government:
Globalisation was not meant to be like this - a frantic race to the bottom where the Devil takes [...]
These are my links for May 16th:
Tax Justice Network: Swiss banker blows whistle on industry - Another angle
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - Change is in the air for financial superclass - It is
Transparency International, India, issued this press release today. I think it worth reproducing in full:
Transparency International, India is concerned over the attitude of the Indian Government in seeking information from the German Government about millions of dollars of un-accounted-for money, belonging to the people of India, lying in Liechtenstein, a small country near Germany.
The Indian [...]
Cayman NetNews has published another of its stunning editorials, this time in response to the Christian Aid report.
Please do read it in full: it’s well worth it. So much so I’m tempted to reproduce it in full, but I won’t, restricting myself instead to the part in which they note Cayman’s reaction to the challenge [...]
My site stats suggest that this blog has passed the 600,000 reader mark.
Not bad in 23 months.
Thanks to all who have been here.
