York St John University have just issued this press release:
Richard Murphy, Director of Tax Research UK, will be the guest speaker at the next Ebor lecture on Wednesday 9 October at York St John University.
The free lecture entitled ‘Jesus would cut the tax gap' is part of a series of six Ebor lectures on ‘The morality of austerity', which seek to evaluate economic austerity from a theological and moral perspective.
Speaking in advance of the lecture, Richard Murphy said:
“We live in an era of government cuts but that is the result of political choice. The UK government recognises that at least £32 billion of tax is not collected a year; the EU estimate, based on my work, is much higher, at £95 billion. If the government needs to cut anything it is this uncollected tax. If they did then austerity would become a bad memory.”
Richard Murphy is a chartered accountant and tax expert. He was a senior partner of a practicing firm and director of a number of entrepreneurial companies before becoming one of the founders of the Tax Justice Network in 2002. Since 2003 Richard has been increasingly involved in economic and taxation policy issues. He is now the director of Tax Research LLP which undertakes work on taxation policy, advocacy and research for aid agencies, unions, NGOs and others in the UK and abroad.
The 2013-14 Ebor lectures are organised by York St John University, York Minster, York Institute for Community Theology, the Order of Carmelites, CRC (Churches Regional Commission for Yorkshire and the Humber) and the Methodist Church.
Since launching in 2006, the lecture series has established an enviable reputation with prestigious speakers, promoting debate on topical issues and broadening discussion. Past speakers have included the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Rt Revd. and the Rt Hon Richard Harries, Former Bishop of Oxford; Mr Peter Taylor, journalist and BBC Presenter; Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury; Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York; Robert Peston, the BBC's Business Editor; the Rt Hon Tony Benn, legendary parliamentarian; Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of the Commonwealth, the former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks; and the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland QC, former Attorney General.
Admission by ticket only, begins at 6.30pm and the lectures start at 7.00pm. Each lecture is followed by a short question and answer session with an anticipated end time of 8.30pm. Tickets are free and can be booked online at www.yorksj.ac.uk/eborlectures or by contacting the Ebor Lectures Co-ordinator on T: 01904 876474 or E: eborlectures@yorksj.ac.uk
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I’m naturally interested to see how you unpack that truth statement.
It will be published!
Good to see they’ve asked you, and excellent theme! Go for it, however, I’m sorry to see they omitted reference to Anne Pettifor, whose Ebor Lecture of 2009 was an efficient demolition of the arguments of the then Leader of the Opposition, one David Cameron – the more so, since he has implemented the policy and thinking (actually “unthinking”) so effectively rebutted by Anne Pettifor.
Would that she had been temporary Leader of the Opposition between May and late September, until Ed Milliband was elected to that role. She would never have let the tosh the Tories have sedulously peddled since May 11th 2010 get established – a nonsense that has now solidified into the meaningless slogan “For Hardworking People” from a Cabinet of millionaires, most of whom wouldn’t know one end of a broom from another, and which is used to justify yet further attacks on the unemployed, when
a) most JSA recipients have paid NIC’s, so JSA is NOT something for nothing, but the proper operation of the insurance principle
and
b) JSA constitutes about 3% (I think that’s the correct percentage? If not, feel free to correct me) of the total DWP spend, so that cutting ALL JSA would make very little difference to Government spend.
Alas, it’s the politics of envy transformed into the politics of vengeance!
Ann could not find a seat at the last election
A loss to parliament
Yes. Kelvin Hopkins was telling me about this at the Labour Party conference – it seems they don’t like candidates who ‘know too much’.
Who is Jesus and how is he relevant to life these days.
You know who Jesus is
And I respect your right to hold your view on him
I have mine
Richard, with every best wish for a successful lecture. I am a Christian Socialist. Yesterday I marched by the Tory Conference in Manchester where I understand bottles of champagne are being sold for £45 and you can pay £5,000 to get a personal invite to a party. I volunteer in a drop in centre and food bank where the most vulnerable in our society are paying the cost of the crisis created by greedy bankers. I am inspired every week by the sermons I hear from the pulpit on tackling inequality and poverty. Yes Jesus would have cut the tax gap and thank you for being bold enough to say it. The Labour Party should be bolder in addressing the issue of tax avoidance.
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Perhaps if all the dodgy lenders of sub-prime mortgages to the poor had done as Zaccheus, we’d be in a different place now.
Brilliant!
Jesus was the first socialist, so my husband always used to say.
We lived in York for 10 years and still have Quaker friends there living at Hartrigg Oaks.
Why is so little made of Rowntree Foundation research these days? I never seem to see it in the papers, but it was quite often mentioned in the Guardian.
I assure you the JRF is very active
I am in part Rowntree funded
And the research does get out there
And for the record I am not saying Jesus was a socialist. But I am saying he loved his neighbour, as should we
“Richard Murphy is a chartered accountant and tax expert.”
What (or who) determines if you are a tax expert – just because you are a CA?
Are you a CTA?
No, I am not a CTA although at one time I lectured many subjects on the CTA syllabus
I do not claim to be a tax expert
Others say I am
Halina,
How is your comment relevant?
It’s study, research and practice for many years that create expertise, not the difference between 2 or 3 letters after one’s name!
And being a CTA doesn’t necessarily make you a tax expert anyway – It just means you passed the exams at some point in your life.
Quite so
it was a long time ago, and I can’t claim to have been there, and nor would I claim to be an expert, but my understanding is that Jesus had a lot to say about personal responsibility, but very little on government administration. Render unto Ceaser that which is Ceaser’s is not the same as Ceaser, go and collect all those taxes your laws demand are collected. In fact it would seem Jesus had little time for government. And is about as far away from socialism as you can get. It will be interesting to see how you square this with your central theme.
Try Romans 13
interesting – of course Romans 13 is credited to Paul, and is at odds with much that is attributed to Jesus.
You told the church that?
God works in mysterious ways … clearly
Yes of course.
If those in authority are indirectly acting under His authority, then one interpretation I’ve read would suggest He is just testing us at this current point in time.
And I would add we shouldn’t forget Jeremiah 5.5- especially in the context of social justice:
I will go to the leaders and speak with them. Surely they know what the LORD demands. Surely they know what their God requires of them. Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority and refuse to submit to him.