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Public Finance Warning: Tax cheats stole your benefits
Richard Murphy
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I don’t think it’s a particularly clever slogan. Most people will see the words “cheats” and “benefits” and link them.
And I’m trying to challenge that perception
Richard
A great idea, but an own goal in execution.
I think it would be more profitable to delete “benefits” and insert “hospital”, “dentist/GP/nurse”,”school”, “local bobbie”, “Fire brigade”. In fact almost anything apart from “benefits”.
Dave
OK
Next time
R
Can you check the link please, not sure if it is just my computer, but it says the document is damaged?
Hopefully corrected now
I’ve tried to open the link and got the message “the file cannot be opened. The file is damaged and cannot be repaired.”
Also they stole your pension, your local bus service, local provision for care of the elderly etc. etc. It’s not entirely true I know (this ignores the fraudulent banking system we’ve had imposed upon us) but it gets things moving.
It should read “Tax cheats cost . . . ” not “Tax cheat costs . . . “.
Sorry, got that wrong myself. It should read “Tax cheats cost . . . ” not “Tax cheats costs . . . “.
I disagree, Richard.
Successive UK governments are responsible. None of them have cracked down on tax avoidance.
I agree – in part
But that does not excuse the cheats
They actually do it
True… but if there’s no legislation in place then it’s only morally wrong (depending which side of the fence you sit)… not illegal. And if it’s not illegal, it’s not cheating… people are playing by the rules.
Don’t get me wrong, people and companies should have to pay their fair share of tax… but if there aren’t the procedures in place, because previous Govts have failed time and time again to tackle this issue, then it’s only human nature that people will want to keep hold as much of their money as possible.
£70 billion of that is tax evasion
That is illegal
And as Denis Healey said, the difference between avoidance and evasion is the thickness of a prison wall
Would you say that people who avoid tax through legal means are tax cheats? I don’t think I would. If something’s legal, then it’s still the Govt who’s to blame, not the individuals… they technically haven’t done anything wrong.
Also, if £70b (above) is evasion, where do you apportion the other £25b?
Cheers.
You are missing the point
There are many ways of mitigating tax that you are intended to use .e.g. pension contributions. That is tax compliant it is not tax avoidance
Tax avoidance is using tax reliefs in ways not intended by parliament
And even the government now says that is cheating
Who am I to disagree
The £70b of evasion is on top of £25 bn of avoidance