Does one have a moral duty to Pay tax?

[stackpole]

The government will attempt to extract every penny in taxes from me that it can. It makes the rules as it sees fit, changes the rules as it sees fit, and applies the rules as it sees fit.

It then spends this money on things I don't want, as inefficiently as it seems possible on the things I do want, and all the while skimmimg whatever they like off the top themselves for their mutual back-scratching and gold-plated pensions.

Where in all this do I get a say? An election every four or five years, to be faced by another government that will do exactly the same thing?

I have no doubt that it is my moral duty to legally minimise the taxes I pay. I'm still playing by their incompetent plethora of rules.

If everyone did it and the treasury ends up short of funds, perhaps they'll use the money more wisely.

[threaded]

There is overal moral obligation to pay tax. It is only the Christian tradition that says tax is morally OK (Give unto Ceaser etc.). Most other religious traditions are either agnostic or down-right hostile to the concept of state taxation.

HTH

[BrilloPad]

"Does one have a moral duty to Pay tax?"

No.


What are these IOM schemes then? Sounds good to me.


It is worth bearing in mind where the money goes if it goes into my pocket rather than the taxmans. Assuming I didn't use it to help other people by giving (and whether or not this is actually helpful is also debatable) what am I going to do with it?

If you consider a porsche driving champagne quaffing contractor as a vulgar or even morally reprehensible sight, think of those from whom he/she buys things from. The hard working car showroom owner, working hard running their own business and employing members of their local community. The champagne importer, similarly a business owner with people in their employ. These people build communities, these people are the ones that can be bothered and who employ people that otherwise may well be living on benefits. And all these people (business owners and employees and their dependents) rely on customers. People with cash to spend.

So where is the most 'moral' place to put your money? To the taxman who gives it to the chav in a house funded by housing benefit or to people who can be bothered to make a difference?

The money trickles down in a productive way if you spend it. If you give it to the taxman it is wasted on unproductive pointless government administration and spongers.

If you believe paying tax is moral then you are making an incorrect assumption. The assumption is this : 'The government can benefit my community by spending my money in a better way than I can'. Nanny state does not know best.

this thread started from comments on this thread http://forums.contractoruk.com/accou...m-company.html

[BrilloPad]

Remember that next time you need to call the police or need to go to hospital or send your kids to school.

Do you think public services grow on trees?

the police spend most of their money upholding the goverment, courts and status quo. try to do a demo against a judge - amazing how quickly 100 police appear. get burgled or mugged and lucky if any.

schools can be done privately.

point taken on hospitals though - NHS are wonderful.

[AlfredJPruffock]

I think the majority of the population would be happy to pay taxes if it could be demonstrably proven that the funds were used wisely, without being wasted.

Our over-bloated government is adept at wasting money. They've been hiving off public assets and forcing through ever more elaborate methods of extracting taxation to cover up the fact that they have no idea about financial control.

Those least in intellect and greatest in ineptitude - work for the government.

And just to confirm Tazman.s comments -

HM Revenue and Customs is failing to repair the tax credits system introduced by Gordon Brown, with fraud and error continuing to lose the taxpayer £1bn a year, MPs say today.


The Commons public accounts committee says that despite repeated criticism of the credits Revenue and Customs has still not put any targets in place to bring the level of fraud down. "The tax credits situation is as serious as ever. HMRC's attempts to bring the system under any measure of control have so far not been crowned with conspicuous success," Edward Leigh, the PAC chairman, said.


Philip Hammond, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: "This hard-hitting report is another appalling indictment of the administrative incompetence at the heart of Gordon Brown's tax credit system.

We've had personal details of every family in the country lost in the data discs fiasco, the collapse of the online tax filing system only last week, and now this. As always, the victims of Brown's economic incompetence are hard-pressed taxpayers."

[DimPrawn]

That's because they have oil, you twat.

That's true.

The UK has never had oil, natural gas or coal.

[threaded]

That's because they have oil, you twat.

No, it is because, there, it is against the law!

Some of you people are truely clueless.

[DodgyAgent]

That's true.

The UK has never had oil, natural gas or coal.

In fact the UK has more oil than Dubai.

It is interesting how we are brainwashed into believing that taxes go to "curing our children when they are ill" or protecting us from evil (which is now protecting us from ourselves, but that is another story). In reality it is our taxes that are used to create the social problems we have in the first place.

Our NHS is not run for our benefit. Our needs and benefits are well down the list of beneficiaries. The job of the police is to raise as much money it can from speed cameras.

Our politicians are too cowardly, inept or driven by self interest to seriously debate the role of the state in society, instead they rely on "Dennyisation" , in other words, making us believe that the world's morality revolves around the lowest common denominator.being good enough for all.

[BrilloPad]

In fact the UK has more oil than Dubai.

It is interesting how we are brainwashed into believing that taxes go to "curing our children when they are ill" or protecting us from evil (which is now protecting us from ourselves, but that is another story). In reality it is our taxes that are used to create the social problems we have in the first place.

Our NHS is not run for our benefit. Our needs and benefits are well down the list of beneficiaries. The job of the police is to raise as much money it can from speed cameras.

Our politicians are too cowardly, inept or driven by self interest to seriously debate the role of the state in society, instead they rely on "Dennyisation" , in other words, making us believe that the world's morality revolves around the lowest common denominator.being good enough for all.

Do you have a link for the oil Dubai thing? My gf used to live in Dubai and she said same - most Dubai wealth built on trading?

The best thing abouit politicians is that the sun reading big brother watching joe public fall for the BS they are told!

[AlfredJPruffock]

Render as I recall ...

A fig for those by law protected!
Liberty's a glorious feast!
Courts for cowards were erected,
Taxes raised to Rob the People !

What is title, what is treasure,
What is reputation's care?
If we lead a life of pleasure,
'Tis no matter how or where!