I've noted I spoke at the ICAEW's New Era event last night. Mary Monfries of PWC was also there and in her comments she made two points.
The first was that in a democracy discussion on tax policy is fine. Extraordinarily, this sounded like a concession.
But then she added as a second point that picking on companies or even HMRC was not fine.
The logic of this baffled me. Apparently in a democracy we're not allowed to criticise a major government agency and being critical of those who do not appear to be paying their fair share of taxes is not acceptable.
I was left wondering whether PWC wanted those supporting fair taxation to exist in an evidence free zone or whether this was altogether more sinister. Either way, it was one of the few sour notes of the evening. I think, in fairness, I was far from alone in not grasping the logic of the suggestion.
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Forgive shade of Molesworth, but as any neo-liberal fule kno, our tax pays for the services provided by HMRC, which makes us stakeholders in ensuring it does the job it should.
Do you know if the event was recorded for release as a podcast or such like Richard?
I don’t think so…shame really
The gloves are off as far as multi nationals receiving in effect is a subsidy, which is corporate welfare.
No one is picking on indigenous businesses that pay the proper amount of tax on all their profits rather than shunting some offshore out of HMRC’s reach by one or more devices, so that a virtual tax world overlays the economic reality.
No one is picking on HMRC, but it should receive constructive criticism, because it is subject to corporate capture and is not acting in the best interests of all taxpayers.
Indeed
I am shocked on PWC attitude.
In Luxembourg, more than 42.000 pages of over aggressive tax schemes worked out by PWC were handed over to the press in UK and in France by an anonymous hero.
What a shame: when a low qualified accounting assistant pays more taxes than a multinational conglomerate with billions of turnover.
How can a politician, elected by the taxpayer does not have the courage to stop this reckless money outflows from our countries into low tax heavens, even in the EEC?
Mayby, just maybe, when more SMEs’ start using the services available to the larger companies to avoid payment of tax, the government will start to think ?
I won’t hold my breath though !