Reply to: Corporate Tax Clampdown

[DimPrawn]

Why don't we give the government some backhanders? A fiver from each of us stuck up Dim Prawn's thong and we'd all be seen alright.

But there again the idea of sticking anything up Dawn Primarollo is enought to make me want to pay the tax instead!

Had me worried for a moment.

[KentPhilip]

Might have something to do with said FTSE companies giving the government backhanders. Maybe. Perhaps.

Why don't we give the government some backhanders? A fiver from each of us stuck up Dim Prawn's thong and we'd all be seen alright.

But there again the idea of sticking anything up Dawn Primarollo is enought to make me want to pay the tax instead!

[DimPrawn]

Aye, that 500 billion figure was a bit of a shock. Convert it to USD and it's more than the USA's $700 billion, a country with 5 times the population of the UK.

Doomed.

We just need (a lot) more immigrants.

Boomed!

[Sysman]

Woohoo, they only need to find another 493 billion now to pay for the banking fiasco...

Aye, that 500 billion figure was a bit of a shock. Convert it to USD and it's more than the USA's $700 billion, a country with 5 times the population of the UK.

Doomed.

[PM-Junkie]

what's interesting is they seem to put as much effort pursuing an IT Contractor for a shortfall of £10K under IR35 as they do on a FTSE company turning over ££ billions and paying zero corp tax through complex avoidance techniques.

Madness.

Might have something to do with said FTSE companies giving the government backhanders. Maybe. Perhaps.

[ratewhore]

Considering the article says about 200 large corporates are avoiding about 7 billion...

Woohoo, they only need to find another 493 billion now to pay for the banking fiasco...

[Bob Dalek]

what's interesting is they seem to put as much effort pursuing an IT Contractor for a shortfall of £10K under IR35 as they do on a FTSE company turning over ££ billions and paying zero corp tax through complex avoidance techniques.

Madness.

Not mad. Once they have sewn-up all of the wrinkles (i.e. introduced new laws to make us pay), then Bingo! contractors are the new cash cow. Trebles all round at HMRC.

Going in for the kill with £billion businesses... threats of "We'll f--k off to South Asia and employ a few lady boys to build our whatevers." would hardly spread cheer in Westminster. No. Always go for the minnows, and the more the better.

[Tensai]

Personally, I’m proud of how much UK Corporation T HAB Ltd pays.

farking little

[HairyArsedBloke]

Personally, I’m proud of how much UK Corporation T HAB Ltd pays.

[TimberWolf]

Not surprising considering it's the same big companies avoiding tax that make government policy. Aren't these the kind of practises/unfairness that we've been complaining about for over a decade now, and are perhaps finally starting to unwind?

[portseven]

I thought this was a good line

"The fact nearly 60% of the department's inquiries into compliance turn out to produce less than 1% of the additional tax raised constitutes very poor targeting," its chairman Edward Leigh said.

"It is extraordinary that there is no correlation between the resources committed to each inquiry and the amount of tax in question."

[The Lone Gunman]

But lots of small-time crooks adds up to a big pot-o-gold, and investigating a small number of people as a show of force is presumably supposed to act as a deterrent to everyone else.

Considering the article says about 200 large corporates are avoiding about 7 billion I would suggest that even if every one of the 120,000 freelancers (PCG figure) owed 10,000 it would make sense to take all the investigators off IR35 and concentrate on the big boys. Once they are complying then work down the tree. Maybe rethink how to gain most tax better on the way.
Also consider all those using non dom rules and allocating their bonuses and shares to their wives who live abroad.
IR35 is truely petty when compared to the sums involved in other areas.

[d000hg]

what's interesting is they seem to put as much effort pursuing an IT Contractor for a shortfall of £10K under IR35 as they do on a FTSE company turning over ££ billions and paying zero corp tax through complex avoidance techniques.

Madness.

But lots of small-time crooks adds up to a big pot-o-gold, and investigating a small number of people as a show of force is presumably supposed to act as a deterrent to everyone else.

[EternalOptimist]

If this meant lower taxes for the rest of us I would be cheering from the rooftops.
It doesnt.
It means that the government will have even more money to waste and that prices will go up.

[DimPrawn]

what's interesting is they seem to put as much effort pursuing an IT Contractor for a shortfall of £10K under IR35 as they do on a FTSE company turning over ££ billions and paying zero corp tax through complex avoidance techniques.

Madness.