No To Retro Tax – Campaign Against Section 58 Finance Act 2008

[portseven]

From Guido Fawkes:

Following the Jimmy Carr crash last week Danny Alexander took to our screens to attack tax avoiders. That’s the very same Danny Alexander who conned the Treasury out of over £100,000 by flipping his home back during the expenses scandal. Beaker shamelessly registered the property as his second home when he became an MP in 2005, despite admitting to Revenue and Customs that it was in fact his main residence. The trick allowed him to claim over £37,000 of taxpayers’ money doing up the London pad over the following two years. In 2007 Danny then sold up for £300,000, using a tax loophole to avoid paying the then 40% capital gains tax. His accountant certainly earned his – or should that be our – money.

Now Alexander is laying into the likes of Carr and Gary Barlow, lambasting tax avoiders as the moral equivalent of benefits cheats.

People in flipped houses…

The problem with throwing mud is that everyone gets dirty .....

[the great escape]

Gauke in reverse...

It's a close call between Danny Alexander and David Gauke.

If Gauke were to back pedal now after making such a stolid defence, what route is most likely?

a) Blame HMRC based on new evidence
b) Blame Labour based on old evidence
c) Blame peers for misleading evidence
d) Blame himself for not listening to any evidence
e) Blame Gordon Brown - it's self-evident

[foolishboy]

If Gauke were to back pedal now after making such a stolid defence, what route is most likely?

a) Blame HMRC based on new evidence
b) Blame Labour based on old evidence
c) Blame peers for misleading evidence
d) Blame himself for not listening to any evidence
e) Blame Gordon Brown - it's self-evident

All except D

[nevergiveup]

All except D

None of the above as I can't see him backing down.....

[the great escape]

None of the above as I can't see him backing down.....

...
f) Out voted, based on all the evidence ?

[DonkeyRhubarb]

Just to set expectations...

There are risks that nothing will come of today.

Gauke and his cronies might try and nobble it. It will only get debated if there is time, and it's not hard to kill time.

He might find other ways of sabotaging it.

I'm hoping we will get something out of it but I've become extremely cynical with politicians and their utter rank hypocrisy.

[funjim]

and what happens then?

Just to set expectations...

There are risks that nothing will come of today.

Gauke and his cronies might try and nobble it. It will only get debated if there is time, and it's not hard to kill time.

He might find other ways of sabotaging it.

I'm hoping we will get something out of it but I've become extremely cynical with politicians and their utter rank hypocrisy.

does it move to another time..but shift up the agenda??

[helen7]

Just to set expectations...

There are risks that nothing will come of today.

Gauke and his cronies might try and nobble it. It will only get debated if there is time, and it's not hard to kill time.

He might find other ways of sabotaging it.

I'm hoping we will get something out of it but I've become extremely cynical with politicians and their utter rank hypocrisy.

I really don't understand domocracy in this country. Surely if members of the comittee want to discuss something, he should not be allowed to avoid it.

[DonkeyRhubarb]

does it move to another time..but shift up the agenda??

We would get another bite of the cherry at the reporting stage of the Finance Bill in the full House.

Failing that we would then move on to the next opportunity in the Parliamentary calendar.

Gauke has to be made to realise that we are not going away and we will continue to plague him right up until the election if necessary.

[DonkeyRhubarb]

I really don't understand domocracy in this country. Surely if members of the comittee want to discuss something, he should not be allowed to avoid it.

Well, despite numerous requests and even a cross party letter calling on him to do so, he is still avoiding even meeting with NTRT.

He is happy to find time to meet Tory backbenchers about S58 but not us.