Jimmy Carr: 'I've made a terrible error of judgement'

[escapeUK]

Lots of contractors dont. Intact the vast majority dont.
We all know of about these dodgy offshore schemes which borderline on tax evasion.
But the greediest X% seem to find them irresistible.

Is it really greedy to want to keep the money you earned rather than let the government waste it, id have said it was sensible.

[Scoobos]

yes, it is; unless you opt out completely of anything provided free at point of use by any government, past or present.

In other words, gtfo and go to the US or something.

[DodgyAgent]

Is it really greedy to want to keep the money you earned rather than let the government waste it, id have said it was sensible.

If we are to have an ordered society then wealth should be redistributed. having said that given the way governments spend tax it is a valid argument that the money is better left in the hands of the taxpayer.

[doodab]

Given the way governments spend tax it is a valid argument that the money is better left in the hands of the taxpayer.

Given the tat that a lot of people spent their money on it's an equally valid argument that tax rates should be closer to 100%.

[SimonMac]

Best example I can have given to the unenlightened is Duty Free (I know its not called that any more but it helps people understand)

If you go to Spain and buy 1000 cigarettes and pay less than you would in the UK, is that illegal? Or immoral?

The conversation then spirals to what level of avoidance is acceptable, which is usually where their argument falls down

[BenDover]

Mr Cameron made reference to Mr Carr taking the UK taxpayers hard earned cash out of the country into an offshore trust and that the very people that pay for tickets to watch his shows are being hard done by.

Mr Carr's money does go offshore but then comes straight back into his bank account in the UK, he can then freely spend this money in whatever shop etc he chooses. Could you then argue he is helping to boost the economy by making purchases within the UK?

Mr Cameron would prefer Mr Carr to pay half of his earnings in tax so that the government could spend it offshore by bailing out Greece or countries alike that are struggling in todays economy. He may even decide to spend it on foreign aid overseas or to foreign workers within the UK as income support of which I guess most of that will head overseas back to their families.

So far everyone reporting on this topic has stated that what Mr Carr is doing is not illegal so what is the problem? Personally I run as many receipts through my company as possible to help reduce my tax liability and not all of them are for company use but it is the done thing. That actually makes me more of a tax offender than Mr Carr I guess?

Why does Mr Cameron not introduce a law to make it illegal? Maybe because all the top earners would exit the UK and set up somewhere else.

Good luck to Mr Carr is what I think, it's his choice and perfectly legal so why do some people seem to have a problem with it?

[Diver]

yes, it is; unless you opt out completely of anything provided free at point of use by any government, past or present.

In other words, gtfo and go to the US or something.

Can't I opt out and stay here?

I have private medical and dental.
Private pension which means I won't get a state one.
Not claiming any benefits and never will.

What do I get for my 2 grand a month tax and NI.
I pay through the nose in taxes for everything I buy or do?

[DodgyAgent]

Given the tat that a lot of people spent their money on it's an equally valid argument that tax rates should be closer to 100%.

If you believe that tax is better spent paying people not to work than it is on employing people to design, manufacture and sell "tat" (which I presume includes Ipads washing machines, srewdrivers, loo rolls and food) then yes you are right.

[scooby]

Can't I opt out and stay here?

I have private medical and dental.
Private pension which means I won't get a state one.
Not claiming any benefits and never will.

What do I get for my 2 grand a month tax and NI.
I pay through the nose in taxes for everything I buy or do?

WDS!

[jmo21]

Personally I run as many receipts through my company as possible to help reduce my tax liability and not all of them are for company use but it is the done thing. That actually makes me more of a tax offender than Mr Carr I guess?

well no, it's not.

If caught, HMRC will deal with this.

The chances of you getting caught is anyones guess however.