Settlement groups - common purpose?

[Rob79]

Are you sure they have public opinion on their side? Most of the intelligent people I speak to regarding taxation think that we, the public are part of an extortion racket!

I agree with you that these groups are stronger together.

Yes, I'm pretty convinced that HMRC has public opinion on its side.

They have been very successful in getting well paid public names in the press with stories of tax avoidance. It's also a fact that many uninformed (in tax matters) people see no distinction between Starbucks paying very little (legitimately) in the UK and groups of modestly affluent people seeking to shave a few points off their liability.

It's like the old joke about Churchill and Lady Astor.

Churchill, "Would you sleep with me for £5?"
Astor "Certainly not!"
Churchill "How about £1m?"
Astor "I might, but what do you think I am?"
Churchill "We've established what you are, now we're negotiating a price"

Morally there is no difference between paying a plumber £20, cash in hand that you know he's not going to declare, and arranging a series of offshore companies to remove UK liability by the million. The latter just costs more to do.