From the Morning Star:
Trade unionists have accused David Cameron of using benefit fraud as "cover for swingeing cuts to genuine claimants."
Speaking last week Mr Cameron described benefit fraud and error as "the one area of ingrained waste that outranks all others."
However the TUC said that, while all fraud should be condemned, the cost of benefit fraud was dwarfed by that of tax evasion and avoidance.
Mr Cameron claimed benefit fraud and errors cost the country £5.2 billion annually.
However the National Fraud Authority cites government figures for 2008-9 which show losses through benefit fraud of £1.1bn.
The most recent figure from the organisation Tax Research put the figures for combined tax evasion and avoidance at £95bn.
A TUC spokesman said: "All fraud is wrong and should be tackled, but benefit fraud accounts for less than 1 per cent of benefit spending and is dwarfed by the amount lost to tax evasion.
"If the government is serious about raising revenue it should put more resources into tackling tax evasion rather than using benefit fraud as a cover for swingeing cuts to genuine claimants."
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
An, no I didn’t write any of it.
And no, I didn’t know I was being quoted.
Just for the record.
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Quoting from a Communist newspaper now are we? So much for your “centrist” stance!
@Lester Piggott
I quote the Sovereign Society too
And let you on here
Where’s the bias?
Have you a problem with broad mindedness?
Or is censorship your aim?
Can you image the noises that would eminate from the right-wing press – the D. Mail in particular – if it were the other way around and benefit fraud amounted to £95bn. It seems that the activities of the rich, where paying tax is optional, are somehow tacitly acceptable but a few quid ‘fiddled’ is outrageous. Our press should present a more balanced view of what is going on and be prepared to challenge politicians such as Cameron who seem to be getting away with spouting b…..it!
[…] is the simple fact that tax fraud costs the Treasury at least 15 times more than benefit fraud. Some estimates put the amount lost from both tax evasion and tax “avoidance” (the latter […]
Check out this article:
“Help Us Stop £1,000 Billion Benefit Scroungers”
http://www.berfrois.com/2010/08/20/help-us-stop-benefit-scroungers.html