Tax Avoidance = Immoral

[Rovinghawk]

Mrr T said:

Since the scheme is only available to the rich it then means the rest of us have to pay more tax.

The law is the same for all of us; you just seem upset that tax planning gives most benefit to those that pay the most tax.

[Murph7355]

Mrr T said:

I agree morality is not about tax. But tax can be about morals..

Utter rubbish.

Tax is about paying for the running of the country. Nothing more,nothing less.

The government/HMRC want everyone thinking it's a moral issue so that they can attempt to take more tax whilst not doing a material thing about their own rules (the tax code).

And they need more tax intake as they are spending too much.

A good bit of divisiveness in politics will also do them no harm.

If morals are to enter into the equation, it ought to be on the other foot. The HMRC should be ensuring everyone pays the bare minimum into the system and the govt should be cutting it's cloth accordingly. What was the buzz word....? "Big Society"?

[turbobloke]

Guam said:

Apparently its only immoral if you are not the wife of the PM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937589/Aw...

We need more exposés of such people and companies following the rules then CMD et al might stfu more often. They usually appear more credible when saying nothing.

[Eric Mc]

I wonder if the Daily Mail engages in any "off shoring"?

[illmonkey]

Eric Mc said:

I wonder if the Daily Mail engages in any "off shoring"?

Relevance your honour!?

[Eric Mc]

illmonkey said:

Relevance your honour!?

Let he who is without sin.... etc etc.

[turbobloke]

Eric Mc said:

illmonkey said:

Relevance your honour!?

Let he who is without sin.... etc etc.

Fair point, but if the story is about the hypocrisy rather than the act it's based around, there would only be a problem if there was a DM editorial sermonising against tax avoidance. If a company isn't minimising its tax burden wtf is it thinking. Give to charity, fine; make unnecessary tax payments, go manage a short plank or two and see if you're better at that. The latter requirement would be satisfied by becoming a political 'leader'.

[Eric Mc]

Yes - it's quite rare for the DM to express an opinion.

[turbobloke]

Eric Mc said:

Yes - it's quite rare for the DM to express an opinion.

It's not, of course, like other newspapers they write editorials, but newspapers report stories. If the newspaper itself was hypocritical it would add more relevance to complaints about their coverage. I haven't seen a DM editorial whining about avoidance, though you may have a link, whereas The Guardian would be a rich source of envy.

[AyBee]

Guam said:

Apparently its only immoral if you are not the wife of the PM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937589/Aw...

She works for them - she doesn't own the company! Do you know what the tax status of the company you work for is? I don't know about the company I work for - I only know how much I pay (too much, in line with UK rules).

Complete non-story.

[sidicks]

AyBee said:

She works for them - she doesn't own the company! Do you know what the tax status of the company you work for is? I don't know about the company I work for - I only know how much I pay (too much, in line with UK rules).

Complete non-story.

But now she does knows, she'll obviously resign??

[jonby]

With increasing globalisation & multi nationals, the advent of internet sales meaning even a small business can sell to almost anywhere on the planet and the fact that an 'international business' now extends to far more countries than the expression may have done just a generation ago, something at some stage will have to change regarding corporation tax

As others have said, companies have a duty to shareholders to maximise profit and part of that duty is to minimise tax (legally). Even someone who wants to play a straight bat will find it difficult to know what to do. I'm not sure what the answer is because you will never find complete cooperation between every single country but something will have to change as the problems for the UK in terms of corporate tax receipts will only get worse in the short-medium term

[anonymous-user]

jonby said:

something at some stage will have to change regarding corporation tax

It's abolition. Sadly that will never happen because almost no one is aware that they pay it making it the ultimate stealth tax.

[AyBee]

sidicks said:

AyBee said:

She works for them - she doesn't own the company! Do you know what the tax status of the company you work for is? I don't know about the company I work for - I only know how much I pay (too much, in line with UK rules).

Complete non-story.

But now she does knows, she'll obviously resign??

I think that question was sarcastic but if not, I doubt it - why should she? The tax status of the company she works for is out of her control. Unless you advocate that everyone who works for Starbucks, Vodafone, Boots and Arcadia should resign too?

[sidicks]

AyBee said:

I think that question was sarcastic but if not, I doubt it - why should she? The tax status of the company she works for is out of her control. Unless you advocate that everyone who works for Starbucks, Vodafone, Boots and Arcadia should resign too?

Depends if they want to be consistent / hypocritical or not...

I certainly would expect anyone who vociferously decries multinational companies for (legal) tax avoidance not to work for Starbucks. Recall our recently-departed 'friend' CamMoreRon..,

Likewise i'd expect people not to take advantage of cheap Amazon pricing if they don't believe the way Amazon operates is appropriate.

[Eric Mc]

turbobloke said:

Eric Mc said:

Yes - it's quite rare for the DM to express an opinion.

It's not, of course, like other newspapers they write editorials, but newspapers report stories. If the newspaper itself was hypocritical it would add more relevance to complaints about their coverage. I haven't seen a DM editorial whining about avoidance, though you may have a link, whereas The Guardian would be a rich source of envy.

Why did they feel the need to run this story?
Is it of significance to anyone who is relaxed about tax avoidance?

[turbobloke]

Eric Mc said:

turbobloke said:

Eric Mc said:

Yes - it's quite rare for the DM to express an opinion.

It's not, of course, like other newspapers they write editorials, but newspapers report stories. If the newspaper itself was hypocritical it would add more relevance to complaints about their coverage. I haven't seen a DM editorial whining about avoidance, though you may have a link, whereas The Guardian would be a rich source of envy.

Why did they feel the need to run this story?

Are you advocating the type of approach taken by the BBC and its editorial guide aka The Guardian, where any story not in-line with right-on leftism should be unreported or sidelined to the point of invisibility? It's not the role of a newspaper to decide what the public can read or cannot read (but see below).

Not that the story in this case represents an easy ride for the Mail's typical centre right stance by going for SamCam's employer and bearing in mind who her husband is. Personally I consider it refreshing that they ran the story. The chances of reading in The Guardian that Red Ed is an embarrassing shambolic waste of space are slim to none but it's a story that would raise public awareness if they did, albeit in the paper version via a very small circulation.

Eric Mc said:

Is it of significance to anyone who is relaxed about tax avoidance?

My point entirely, so run it anyway as newspapers aren't there to indulge one section of public opinion. Except for The Guardian, Daily Mirror and Independent to name three exceptions pertinent to an attack on the DM.

[Eric Mc]

Ah yes, the good old DM, the bastion of neutrality, fairness and accuracy.

I was waiting for that old upholder of Marxist-Lenism and all things left of Ché Guevara, the BBC, to run this story as a massive headline.

Not a peep.

[turbobloke]

Eric Mc said:

Ah yes, the good old DM, the bastion of neutrality, fairness and accuracy.

A jibe response to a non-point that wasn't made. Could do better.

Eric Mc said:

I was waiting for that old upholder of Marxist-Lenism and all things left of Ché Guevara, the BBC, to run this story as a massive headline.

Not a peep.

Precisely, these lefty control freaks decide what the public ought to see - they should cover everything and let people decide for themselves. It's a form of censorship and aside from the gratuitous non-point you seem to endorse it.

[Rovinghawk]

Guam said:

this thread is about alleged immortality

Are you absolutely sure about that?