I could not help but be amused by this (click the image for a bigger version):
Nominations?
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Go on Richard, apply! You could then make a point by sending the UK tax due to HMRC, that’ll shock ’em!
That would be an amazing publicity coup for Richard to get such a role. I hope it wouldn’t disrupt him from writing his blog though.
What most intrigues me is the statement that the salary is ‘currently’ tax free. All things are possible!
Richard
Forgive me, as a German I am not always in tune with your British humour,
What is it that amuses you about this advert? While I hold my judgement on IOM are you not a supporter of democracy meaning if IOM residents support lower taxes this must be respected? Or have I misunderstood?
Also I do not understand Laurences’s comment. Surely there is no tax due to UK from IOM? They are separate tax jurisdictions?
HG
I am amused that they advertise a sinecure reinforcing UK formal presence in a tax haven undermining our revenues quite so openly
The Isle of Man is, quite simply, not part of the UK (and predates the UK).
It is independent, and self-governing.
Like Yorkshire is
No, not at all. Yorkshire is part of the UK. The Isle of Man is not.
The connection is that the UK Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, is also the Lord of Mann (and also the Duke of Normandy, hence the connection with Jersey and Guernsey).
So it’s not “UK formal presence in a tax haven”, as is made quite clear in the first sentence.
And there are fairies at the bottom of your garden, no doubt
The Isle of Man is to all intents and purposes part of the UK. They speak English and drive on the left hand side of the road. To suggest otherwise is to be blinded by the neo-liberal world view of borders and international law.
Their banking and tax systems are integrated with outs in large part (VAT is totally shared tax)
And their supreme court is ours
And we can legislate for them – and have
They also have UK passports and must comply with EU regulation on many issues, which we impose on them
Richard
I am confused.
I believe the IOM can and does set its own income tax rates, IHT rates and CGT rates etc, while Yorkshire most certainly cannot.
Quite a significant difference, surely?
In tax terms there is no comparison.
G
See answers to other comments
The IoM has a charade of independence
But no more
And one in which I have played a part by proving how dependent it was on the UK – to its cost, I am pleased to say
The Republic of Ireland is to all intents and purposes part of the UK. They speak English and drive on the left hand side of the road. To suggest otherwise is to be blinded by the neo-liberal world view of borders and international law.
Read answers to other comments
Oh, and they do NOT have UK passports.
I think you’ll find they do
We are solely responsible for their foreign affairs
More confusion arising and this time on passports where I read that:
“British passports issued in the Isle of Man are slightly different from those issued in the United Kingdom… British subject passports issued in the Isle of Man do not refer to the European Union… Because the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, its passports do not carry the words United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the front cover and on the biodata page. In their place, they have the words British Islands: Isle of Man.
Some British passports issued by the Isle of Man Government will have an endorsement included to the following effect:
“ holder is not entitled to benefit from European Community Provisions relating to employment or establishment ”
This appears when a British citizen passport holder was born or naturalised in either the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands and has no connection through residency to the United Kingdom. This endorsement results from Protocol 3 to the UK’s Act of Accession to the European Community, which defines the relationship between the Isle of Man and what is now the European Union”
Which suggests a marked difference between an IOM passport and a UK passport.
Of course what I have researched may be wrong and if so I am sure you can find a citation supporting your view.
It’s right
But it’s a British passport
Actually, I’m moderately envious – because at least the Manx are happy to have a senior civilian. In Jersey we have no choice but to have ex-military as Lieut-Governors (I still think that someone could have them for religious discrimination on the grounds that excluding civilians discriminates against Quakers).
Richard
I am always interested in learning.
Here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18251379
The BBC says that the IOM “is not part of the United Kingdom or European Union”.
Is it the case that the BBC is wrong and you are right? Why are we wasting our money on licence fees for the BBC if they get such simple things wrong??!!
G
I am making a political point: the ‘independence’ is a charade of convenience perpetuated for the sake of the financial elite
Richard, why is it so hard for you simply to admit to a minor technical error on an irrelevant point? Being ignorant of the geeky details of what exactly constitutes the UK, GB, British Isles, and so-on is hardly unusual.
Anyway, the IoM is simply not part of the UK, since the UK consists of (and only of) the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is a Crown Dependency rather than an entirely independent country, but it is self-governing. (As a matter of practicality that self-government often results in using the UK’s systems for things.)
[quote]7. The Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey and the Isle of Man are Dependencies of the Crown, with Her Majesty The Queen as Sovereign.[2] The Sovereign is represented in each jurisdiction by a Lieutenant Governor. Although they are proud of their British associations, the Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom and are autonomous and self-governing, with their own, independent legal, administrative and fiscal systems. The Island parliaments legislate for themselves. UK legislation and international treaties are only extended to them with their consent. It has been argued that Westminster retains a residual legislative power over the Islands in order to avoid “the impossible position of having responsibility without power”.[3] We are not aware of any example in recent times of such a power being exercised. The Crown Dependencies are to be distinguished from the UK’s Overseas Territories, which have a different constitutional relationship with the UK.[4] The Crown Dependencies are not part of the EU or EEA but they are in the Customs territory of the EU by virtue of Protocol 3 to the UK’s Act of Accession 1972 so that they can benefit from free movement of industrial and agricultural goods.[5] They are also part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), along with the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which permits movement without immigration controls for all CTA nationals.[6]
8. Her Majesty the Queen is Sovereign in each of the Crown Dependencies for historical reasons which are different for each Island.[7] In each case, however, she executes her responsibilities for the Crown Dependencies on the advice of her Privy Council and her executive responsibilities are carried out by Her Majesty’s Government. Within HM Government, the Ministry of Justice is the point of contact for the Crown Dependencies, and communications in both directions are passed through its offices. Whilst this inquiry deals with the relationship between the Ministry of Justice and the Crown Dependencies, it is important to realise that their relationship is technically with the Crown and that HM Government’s responsibilities are derived from this fact. As Jack Straw told us on 7 October 2008:
The relationship between us and the Crown Dependencies is a subtle one. They are dependencies of the Crown, they are not part of the United Kingdom, so the responsibilities I have for them are as a privy councillor.[8][/quote]
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmjust/56/5604.htm
I agree the relationship is a subtle one
It’s all a pretence or a matter of game play is another way of putting it
Which is why I made my point
A charade of independence? No, the IoM is independent.
Why can’t you just accept that you’re wrong?
The UK and the IoM are separate entities, with separate governments. The latter is NOT part of the UK or the European Union, and UK passports are NOT issued. These are simply matters of fact.
The Queen is sovereign in both the UK and the IoM, which is the connection. But bear in mind that the IoM is very much older than the UK and has never been part of the UK. That’s their choice.
The Queen (as the Lord of Mann, NOT as the Queen) has responsibility for the IoM, not the UK. The UK government only gets involved via the Crown. In other words the UK government acts on behalf of the Queen.
Lists of countries that are in the European Union are freely available.
I am aware of all of that
And it is all game playing
Game playing? In what sense?
The IoM has its own parliament, and has had since 979 (making it the oldest parliament in the world).
This predates England let alone the United Kingdom.
The IoM is not, nor has it ever been part of England, Scotland or the United Kingdom. The UK government can only make law for the UK.
Again, how do you propose to impose your will on the IoM?
We do impose our will
The Marine Offences Act 1967 was a direct imposition of will
The EU Code of Conduct on Business Taxation applied to the Isle of Man because it is considered part of the UK
The demand that it comply was imposed
And likewise we imposed new VAT arrangements – as a result of work I did showing the arrangements were inappropriate
I have a track record in this area
And I know how the game works
The veneer is of one thing. The reality is as I suggest it is
The veneer?
I have pointed out factual errors, and you ignore them.
The IoM can and does set its own tax rates, as an example. It is not the same as Yorkshire.
It appears that you would like to see UK tax rates apply in the IoM. Correct? The IoM does not want this, and don’t forget that the IoM is older than both the UK and England.
By what right should the UK be able to dictate to the IoM?
And as I have pinted out the UK does dictate the terms
So it is like Yorkshire in that regard
Nope. The UK does not dictate IoM tax rates, nor can it. Their own (much older) parliament makes those decisions.
Yorkshire is not the same at all, though would certainly beat the IoM at cricket and rugby league.
(Yorkshire, btw, is in the UK and the EU.)
You really don’t get nuance
Or de facto reality do you?
So I suggest debate over
Memory may be playing tricks here Richard, but didn’t you once face a credible threat to your physical well-being from that part of the world?
I certainly won’t be applying!
Do you have to change your name to Kelly?
i wonder if the seabed around the IOM is part of the crown estate. Nice little piggy bank for those who benefit if it is so.
You could try Google.
http://www.cleantechinvestor.com/portal/islands/10615-isle-of-man-offshore-renewables.html
“the Isle of Man Government continues to own the 12 nautical miles of sea bed surrounding the island itself”
And the Royal Navy polices it
Telling that some commenters are so desperate to assert IoM independence from the UK (which is a sham, as you say) despite the fact the description requires the post holder to be a “lucid communicator” to both the Isle of Man and UK governments.
Looks like the UK government is closely involved in Isle of Man after all. The Isle of Man even admits it is.
As a born and bred, genuine Manxman may I add my tuppence to this thread please. Technically, to a degree, we do have the illusion, or should that be delusion ? of independence. For all intents and purposes however, tax dodging and money laundering perhaps, Richard has the situation succinctly summed up, of course we’re not independent anybody thinking otherwise is kidding themselves.
Personally I’d love to be fully independent of the UK, especially England which is fast becoming a country I no longer recognise. I’d get great pleasure, especially,
from bidding farewell to that symbol of colonialism the governor. The sooner we’re rid of this anachronism the better it will be.
Keep up the good work Richard.
I think that’s fair comment
Once you start to argue about independence and the illusion of it you have to think about FATCA. The USA managed to force that upon pretty much every country of the world, suggesting that the UK finds it difficult to be independent of the USA, especially when you consider all the action they have been taken over things like LIBOR as well.
I am an ex jersey-man, and agree with you Richard the islands are not free and independent. I’ll give an example: way back in time, I think it was the nineteen sixties the UK then government made homosexuality legal with certain provisions. The then States of Jersey decided in one of their sittings to keep the homosexual law in place, still making it a crime. The home office told Jersey if you don’t change the law we’ll change it for you. So much for independence eh!
Indeed
As with birching in the Isle of Man
Hi Richard
Some interesting “comments” and as a group who knows (almost) as much as anyone about the Isle of Man perhaps we could add ours?
The island has been hijacked by a decaying financial services industry as a location (amongst others) where the City can transfer some of its les than savoury activities. These activities are condoned by a vile government who have little interest in the welfare of the island other than maintaining its secrecy to provide it with a source of dubious revenue.
Little of this “revenue/wealth” filters down to the decent, indigenous Manxman who is held captive to a bunch of spivs. For their sakes the only way to re-establish rule of law is to bring the island under the complete control of Westminster — exactly like Yorkshire! Or cede total independence to the island to become a sovereign state within its own right.
The present shilly-shally and ambiguity about its status serves only to encourage continuing financial shenanigans, which in turn create misery and hardship for others- including vulnerable pensioners!