Reply to: Overseas Bank Account.

[andy]

The thing you ignore is that we must each pay our fair share of taxation, in order to fund vital public services. For each of us that does not do this, someone else has to make up the deficit, which is patently unfair.

It is particularly invidious when people manipulate the law in ways that were not intended, to reduce their real taxation liabilities in ways that are not available to ordinary hard-working families. Tax avoidance is frankly immoral, and borders on criminal intent.

I shall always make it my duty to introduce new legislation to catch tax avoiders. Furthermore, I know I have the support of the vast majority of this country's people, who are heartily sick and tired of these few, greedy people getting away with it.

feck off and die

[Churchill]

The thing you ignore is that we must each pay our fair share of taxation, in order to fund vital public services. For each of us that does not do this, someone else has to make up the deficit, which is patently unfair.

It is particularly invidious when people manipulate the law in ways that were not intended, to reduce their real taxation liabilities in ways that are not available to ordinary hard-working families. Tax avoidance is frankly immoral, and borders on criminal intent.

I shall always make it my duty to introduce new legislation to catch tax avoiders. Furthermore, I know I have the support of the vast majority of this country's people, who are heartily sick and tired of these few, greedy people getting away with it.

I concur!

Churchill - In "Sir Philip Green" mode!

[gordonbrown]

I see the Govt. are introducing a limit on the amount of cash that can be brought in/out of the country.

Obviously, it has nothing to do with offshore account holders trying to (crudely) re-patriate their funds!

Will this Govt. stop at nothing to screw over the working man?

http://tinyurl.com/2nzhgg

The thing you ignore is that we must each pay our fair share of taxation, in order to fund vital public services. For each of us that does not do this, someone else has to make up the deficit, which is patently unfair.

It is particularly invidious when people manipulate the law in ways that were not intended, to reduce their real taxation liabilities in ways that are not available to ordinary hard-working families. Tax avoidance is frankly immoral, and borders on criminal intent.

I shall always make it my duty to introduce new legislation to catch tax avoiders. Furthermore, I know I have the support of the vast majority of this country's people, who are heartily sick and tired of these few, greedy people getting away with it.

[bobhope]

I know it sounds strange but I was told (by an accountant no less) that in many countries non-payment of tax liabilities is a civil law matter as opposed to fraud, evasion etc. Having googled on this a bit it does seem to be b****x!

Anecdotally, it is not unknown for people to leg it from belgium owing a couple of years tax though I have also heard of people being pursued for the money in other countries (but not extradited etc.)

Not the sort of behaviour that a dedicated IT professional would ever condone or consider

It is in Switzerland. Only if you fraudulently alter / create documents is it then a criminal thing.

[Clippy]

I see the Govt. are introducing a limit on the amount of cash that can be brought in/out of the country.

Obviously, it has nothing to do with offshore account holders trying to (crudely) re-patriate their funds!

Will this Govt. stop at nothing to screw over the working man?

http://tinyurl.com/2nzhgg

[Euro-commuter]

I know it sounds strange but I was told (by an accountant no less) that in many countries non-payment of tax liabilities is a civil law matter as opposed to fraud, evasion etc. Having googled on this a bit it does seem to be b****x!

Anecdotally, it is not unknown for people to leg it from belgium owing a couple of years tax though I have also heard of people being pursued for the money in other countries (but not extradited etc.)

Not the sort of behaviour that a dedicated IT professional would ever condone or consider

Didn't mean to be insulting but taxes have always been 'special'. A lot of people do dislike paying them, and OTOH govts have special powers to extract them. The idea of them voluntarily "taking a number" and just hoping you'll pay is frankly imaginative. In some cases they might not chase you too hard because they have bigger fish to fry, but they will if they feel like it.

PS and the EU is determined to rationalise these things. Get flashed by foreign speed cameras while you still can, one day it will cost you.....

[Rantor]

If you think that tax liabilities are only civil debts, and likely to be forgotten if you leave the country, and not pursued in other EU countries, then I think we would all like some of what you're smoking.

I know it sounds strange but I was told (by an accountant no less) that in many countries non-payment of tax liabilities is a civil law matter as opposed to fraud, evasion etc. Having googled on this a bit it does seem to be b****x!

Anecdotally, it is not unknown for people to leg it from belgium owing a couple of years tax though I have also heard of people being pursued for the money in other countries (but not extradited etc.)

Not the sort of behaviour that a dedicated IT professional would ever condone or consider

[Euro-commuter]

Interesting.

Hypothetically speaking, what do you think would happen if you just left the country at that point?

I often wonder if european governments pursue (civil?) tax liabilities cross-border.

Not that I would ever consider such a course of action.

If you think that tax liabilities are only civil debts, and likely to be forgotten if you leave the country, and not pursued in other EU countries, then I think we would all like some of what you're smoking.

[Rantor]

I know the Germans do! A friend left Germany without paying a few tax bills and came back on holiday some time later. He got stopped at the border and thrown in jail for non-payment. His tax bill was DM3,000 and his prison bill was DM100 per day so he got 30 days inside. Another, well meaning, friend went along and bailed him out which really pissed him off as not only was he paying off his tax bill he was in a nice cell with television, 3 meals a day and a liter of beer a day.

Ok, so its defo not ot a civil offence in germany and they sound as if they've moved on a bit from colditz

[andy]

I know the Germans do! A friend left Germany without paying a few tax bills and came back on holiday some time later. He got stopped at the border and thrown in jail for non-payment. His tax bill was DM3,000 and his prison bill was DM100 per day so he got 30 days inside. Another, well meaning, friend went along and bailed him out which really pissed him off as not only was he paying off his tax bill he was in a nice cell with television, 3 meals a day and a liter of beer a day.

Is their any website for comparing EU jails
once can dodge the tax in the country with best jail service

[darmstadt]

I often wonder if european governments pursue (civil?) tax liabilities cross-border.

I know the Germans do! A friend left Germany without paying a few tax bills and came back on holiday some time later. He got stopped at the border and thrown in jail for non-payment. His tax bill was DM3,000 and his prison bill was DM100 per day so he got 30 days inside. Another, well meaning, friend went along and bailed him out which really pissed him off as not only was he paying off his tax bill he was in a nice cell with television, 3 meals a day and a liter of beer a day.

[Rantor]

I don't know how they do it in the UK, but in France the taxman, having found out that you have a foreign bank account, would just ask you for copies of your statements on that account. You were of course under no obligation to show them.

After you declined, you would receive an estimated tax bill on an estimated balance of hundreds of thousands of euros in the foreign account. Of course you could contest the estimate: by showing copies of your statements.....

Interesting.

Hypothetically speaking, what do you think would happen if you just left the country at that point?

I often wonder if european governments pursue (civil?) tax liabilities cross-border.

Not that I would ever consider such a course of action.

[threaded]

I've tried to tell the IR that I'm not resident. How many P85s do they need before they get the hint?

It feels like they never do...

[bobhope]

I've tried to tell the IR that I'm not resident. How many P85s do they need before they get the hint?

[Euro-commuter]

I don't know how they do it in the UK, but in France the taxman, having found out that you have a foreign bank account, would just ask you for copies of your statements on that account. You were of course under no obligation to show them.

After you declined, you would receive an estimated tax bill on an estimated balance of hundreds of thousands of euros in the foreign account. Of course you could contest the estimate: by showing copies of your statements.....