Tax - If you could do a "Carr" would you?

[GTIR]

If you could would you/do you put your money in offshore tax haven schemes like Carr.
I'm not suggesting we all start doing it as that would be silly and impossible but if you could would you?

Leaving the percentages and all the moral hoohaa aside I bet if it meant securing a future for your children you would.

Vote away.

For the record I would.

[KingNothing]

Anything legal yes I would, morality doesn't come into paying taxes, legality does though, I don't pay my taxes out of pure kindness, I pay them, because legally I have to.

[Zwolf]

Of course, provided it's legal tax avoidance, rather than commit tax evasion. I don't fancy prison at all.

[PH lurker]

Zwolf said:

Of course, provided it's legal tax avoidance, rather than commit tax evasion. I don't fancy prison at all.

+1

Like most of us, I'm inherently selfish and want a nice TVR.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

No, I wouldn't. Not taking the moral high ground, I might do if the top rate was silly. But a top rate of tax of 45% is quite reasonable, and I think it's right that I contribute my fair share to the country. After all, I have 2 kids in free education, a police force, army etc. I'm happy to pay a reasonable % for that.

And I earn considerably less than Jimmy Carr!!

[HeatonNorris]

Zwolf said:

Of course, provided it's legal tax avoidance, rather than commit tax evasion. I don't fancy prison at all.

The 'Carr' scheme hasn't been tested in court, so it may well become illegal.

Didn't something similar happen with a scheme used by IT contractors recently?- it was tested in court, found to be illegal, and the Revenue are now chasing for payment.

A tested and legal avoidance scheme - yes, I'd do that.

One of these 'grey areas' where it's only exploitable until the Revenue get around to testing in court... no, definitely not.

[Comfortably Dumb]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

No, I wouldn't. Not taking the moral high ground, I might do if the top rate was silly. But a top rate of tax of 45% is quite reasonable, and I think it's right that I contribute my fair share to the country. After all, I have 2 kids in free education, a police force, army etc. I'm happy to pay a reasonable % for that.

And I earn considerably less than Jimmy Carr!!

Many higher rate tax payers will have private health and education, yet they pay a greater overall percentage of their earning as tax. Hardly their "fair share"!

Personally I'd use every tax avoidance scheme possible to reduce my liability. I'd like to see a single flat rate of tax, everybody pays x% of their earnings.

Edited by Comfortably Dumb on Sunday 24th June 10:33

[Eric Mc]

I could and I don't.

There are lots of less aggressive tax avoidance measures that are perfectly workable and far less controversial that can be used to mitigate ones taxes without being extreme.

[Pommygranite]

Eric Mc said:

I could and I don't.

There are lots of less aggressive tax avoidance measures that are perfectly workable and far less controversial that can be used to mitigate ones taxes without being extreme.

But would you not argue the risk for him it's worth the reward given the level of money he'd save as opposed to £100-150k? It's worth the effort when it's in the millions.

[BenM77]

I wouldn't, it is odd to me that anyone would want to cheat the system (legal or not).

As pointed out already, the services we all enjoy do not pay for themselves. Why would you expect something for nothing ?

[NightRunner]

BenM77 said:

I wouldn't, it is odd to me that anyone would want to cheat the system (legal or not).

As pointed out already, the services we all enjoy do not pay for themselves. Why would you expect something for nothing ?

If it's legal, how is it cheating?

Think of it the other way, if you don't do it, you're just making a donation to the G'ment.

[VinceFox]

Yes.

And frankly a prime minister describing legal tax avoidance as immoral is one of the most ridiculas things ive heard this year.

[Shay HTFC]

NightRunner said:

BenM77 said:

I wouldn't, it is odd to me that anyone would want to cheat the system (legal or not).

As pointed out already, the services we all enjoy do not pay for themselves. Why would you expect something for nothing ?

If it's legal, how is it cheating?

Think of it the other way, if you don't do it, you're just making a donation to the G'ment.

I'd feel uneasy about it if it meant I had to pretend I wasn't a fulltime UK citizen or had to route my income through a charity or whatnot. I'd consider that cheating.

[BenM77]

NightRunner said:

BenM77 said:

I wouldn't, it is odd to me that anyone would want to cheat the system (legal or not).

As pointed out already, the services we all enjoy do not pay for themselves. Why would you expect something for nothing ?

If it's legal, how is it cheating?

Think of it the other way, if you don't do it, you're just making a donation to the G'ment.

I am sure you are joking, your taxes are what makes this Country great. Your 'donation' to the government is what pays for the NHS to look after your family member through cancer etc. this thread is bks.

What if everyone did it ? What a great Country we would all live in then.

[VinceFox]

BenM77 said:

NightRunner said:

BenM77 said:

I wouldn't, it is odd to me that anyone would want to cheat the system (legal or not).

As pointed out already, the services we all enjoy do not pay for themselves. Why would you expect something for nothing ?

If it's legal, how is it cheating?

Think of it the other way, if you don't do it, you're just making a donation to the G'ment.

I am sure you are joking, your taxes are what makes this Country great. Your 'donation' to the government is what pays for the NHS to look after you family member through cancer etc. this thread is bks.

What if everyone did it ? What a great Country we would all live in then.

Then it's the job of government to make it ILLEGAL.

[BenM77]

VinceFox said:

Then it's the job of government to make it ILLEGAL.

Not a great argument, if you know what you are doing is Legal but Immoral then the only difference is the consequences.

[VinceFox]

BenM77 said:

VinceFox said:

Then it's the job of government to make it ILLEGAL.

Not a great argument, if you know what you are doing is Legal but Immoral then the only difference is the consequences.

I'm not the PM though. The one using the term "immoral" is. It has a similar feel to bad parents moaning about the behaviour of their children, to me.

[Alex]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

But a top rate of tax of 45% is quite reasonable

No, it's not.

[rumple]

I would, good luck to him, amazing listening to politicians lecturing on morals, that one made me laugh out loud

[Countdown]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

No, I wouldn't. Not taking the moral high ground, I might do if the top rate was silly. But a top rate of tax of 45% is quite reasonable, and I think it's right that I contribute my fair share to the country. After all, I have 2 kids in free education, a police force, army etc. I'm happy to pay a reasonable % for that.

And I earn considerably less than Jimmy Carr!!

Exactly.

Compared to the lives my grandparents had I live in a veritable utopia. Paying my taxes is the least I can do.