No To Retro Tax - Ongoing battle against S58 FA2008

[Laxmi]

None Of The Above - only way to go for me.

There is always the option of spoiling your vote to formally register your protest at the lack of suitable candidates. Writing 'None of the Above" on your ballot paper does this and it does have to be noted and counted as such. They like to keep this option quiet, but there is a growing movement to make it a formal option on the ballot paper. Not having that option at the moment doesn't stop you writing it on though.

Exactly what I did 'NONE OF THE ABOVE' not much space to write that though, forgot to put a X by it. Put a line through all the boxes in the ballot paper as well.

[Laxmi]

Re article below, and whilst a lot of people may not agree with it, it would appear to be like our own situation, a case of fully complying with the law at the time! I have discussed this at length with friends and family a small minority who have been in the scheme, the vast majority not, and all have stated that whilst they do not agree with it, they fully accept that it was legal at the time and had they known about these schemes, they would have used them too!!

The UK and the EU are the ones who are guilty and incompetent for allowing schemes to exist in the first place. My point is that is that they have a duty of care and as such it is each countries governments responsibility to ensure that they do the best for it, so why on earth have they allowed all of these loopholes to exist (and yes I am not that naïve, I know why)!

It is easier to point the finger of blame rather than accept that it is they "our elected Governments - who are their to serve their people" who are in the wrong!!

THE EUROPEAN UNION is to investigate McDonald's over claims its structure allowed it to avoid more than €1bn (£730m) in tax.

It is alleged by trade unions that the fast food purveyor exploited a royalties loophole through Luxembourg, allowing it to pay just €16m of tax on royalties worth €3.7bn between 2009 and 2013.

It is accused of diverting cash through a subsidiary based in the Grand Duchy, with a Swiss branch to exploit a generous tax break on intellectual property rights.

The unions claim McDonald's Luxembourg subsidiary employs just 13 people, yet booked €834m of revenue in 2013 - roughly around €64m per worker.

McDonald's maintains it has fully complied with EU law.

"We are looking into the information gained by trade unions when it comes to McDonald's in order to assess if there is a case, or if we should open cases there," European Union competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

On Monday, McDonald's promised to become a modern, progressive and transparent burger company.

The commission has already opened investigations into the tax affairs of Amazon in Luxembourg, Apple in Ireland and Starbucks in the Netherlands.

In the UK didn't Amazon, Starbucks, Google get off scot free? And lets not forget Vodafone, when Osborne went to India to fight Retro Tax, although in India there was a case and Retro wasn't applied to Vodafone - we had no such justice here!

[Laxmi]

I'd say with those examples, alignment with Sir George is a no brainer.

Where I'm living at the mo, this is all solved by the govt./revenue doing several things

a) granting certain professions certain tax statuses so that the advantage of SE is there without the spectre of being turned over for E / IR35 looming in the background. You pay less tax, you make more money - sure. But then you don't get the benefits of e.g. the public health service. You have to go private. Fair enough.
b) Agencies acquire special licenses to employ people then lend them out. Otherwise most companies won't look twice at you. Why? - tax risk. This as opposed to simply finding people work and throwing them to the client with diy employment status.

If I saw any of that in an election manifesto, I may have been inclined to postal vote. Sadly not. Smash and grab is all there is on offer.

Its a shame it's not that organised here. The doc and examples seem juvenile to me, no wonder the Govmt/HMRC still have no clue how contractors work.

Why in UK are they not able to make a distinction! If your a permanent employee => your an employee
if you work for your self which ever method (and lets face it, we have to use Ltd because of limited liability else we wouldn't be hired!) your not an employee.
So, according to the doc (I only read a bit (didn't like the servant master bit - draconian)) if we're watched over the shoulder we're employees? Does a PM ticking his box on a project plan when you've finished a task, usually he does't even understand, classify as supervised?

Does this help the TAA if people can say they were supervised/controlled etc, and hence agency workers?

Seems like you've escaped to a more sane/organised country that has figured out employees <> self-employed/Ltd.

Apologies for the rant.

[the great escape]

Its a shame it's not that organised here. The doc and examples seem juvenile to me, no wonder the Govmt/HMRC still have no clue how contractors work.

Why in UK are they not able to make a distinction! If your a permanent employee => your an employee
if you work for your self which ever method (and lets face it, we have to use Ltd because of limited liability else we wouldn't be hired!) your not an employee.
So, according to the doc (I only read a bit (didn't like the servant master bit - draconian)) if we're watched over the shoulder we're employees? Does a PM ticking his box on a project plan when you've finished a task, usually he does't even understand, classify as supervised?

Does this help the TAA if people can say they were supervised/controlled etc, and hence agency workers?

Seems like you've escaped to a more sane/organised country that has figured out employees <> self-employed/Ltd.

Apologies for the rant.

Rant accepted. To be honest, I feel like I'm in exile. All part of the greater scheme of things to minimise any personal fall-out from this tulip. Driven off me land by Her Majesty's Rustlers & Cowboys.

[Laxmi]

Rant accepted. To be honest, I feel like I'm in exile. All part of the greater scheme of things to minimise any personal fall-out from this tulip. Driven off me land by Her Majesty's Rustlers & Cowboys.

I was packing my bags, until I realised I can't live without my immediate Family - who are here, so hey ho, may reconsider, as this is all getting too insane for me now. Still have the loan fiasco to go through.
I think these robbers&crooks are going to drive a lot of highly skilled workers out, like they did when they first introduced IR35.

[Disgusted of Coventry]

On Monday, McDonald's promised to become a modern, progressive and transparent burger company.

Why? What was wrong with the opaque ones?

[Laxmi]

Rant accepted. To be honest, I feel like I'm in exile. All part of the greater scheme of things to minimise any personal fall-out from this tulip. Driven off me land by Her Majesty's Rustlers & Cowboys.

Sorry to hear you feel like an exile, hope its at least better weather

[SantaClaus]

Rant accepted. To be honest, I feel like I'm in exile. All part of the greater scheme of things to minimise any personal fall-out from this tulip. Driven off me land by Her Majesty's Rustlers & Cowboys.

I always thought it was Her Majesty's Robbers and Conmen.

[SantaClaus]

Sorry I haven't been on the forum recently, been busy with some personal business that has taken over the last few weeks. If any queries to admin at NTRT have not been answered, please re-send them and I will see to them. Thanks.

On a separate note, I didn't bother to vote for the first time in 27 years. I have always voted in the past and thought it my duty to vote, but having realised from this whole (tax) charade that it's really the establishment who pull the strings and the political party of the moment are mere puppets - not to mention the sheer hypocrisy of Milliband, Cameron, Hodge the Dodge et al. when it comes to tax avoidance, I just can't be bothered with this illusion of democracy.

Anyway, if anyone disagrees, you got 7 mins to change my mind.

Rant over and apologies for going slightly off topic.

[nevergiveup]

Sorry I haven't been on the forum recently, been busy with some personal business that has taken over the last few weeks. If any queries to admin at NTRT have not been answered, please re-send them and I will see to them. Thanks.

On a separate note, I didn't bother to vote for the first time in 27 years. I have always voted in the past and thought it my duty to vote, but having realised from this whole (tax) charade that it's really the establishment who pull the strings and the political party of the moment are mere puppets - not to mention the sheer hypocrisy of Milliband, Cameron, Hodge the Dodge et al. when it comes to tax avoidance, I just can't be bothered with this illusion of democracy.

Anyway, if anyone disagrees, you got 7 mins to change my mind.

Rant over and apologies for going slightly off topic.

Couldn't agree more! First time in my life I haven't voted.