Reply to: britain is a tax dodgers paradise

[Cyberman]

The biggest tax-evaders are MPs so as far as I am concerned it is fair game for everybody else also. Good luck all !!

[Doggy Styles]

I totally agree expat. They draft their legislation based on woolly-****** concepts like "fair", "deemed" and "should".

Before this government, legislators (of all parties) always used to go to great lengths to make their laws black and white, and if they couldn't, they chuck it out as an unworkable law.

[expat]

My main point is this:

When I first came across the distinction between tax evasion (dishonest, illegal, a crime) and tax avoidance (structuring your affairs within the law to reduce tax paid, therefore legal) it seemed perfectly clear. It still does.

But this HMG and HMRC are now denying that. To them, it is not enough that your actions are legal, they have to be "fair" and you have to accept your "responsibilities" (as defined, or ill-defined, by them) and allow them to collect "the tax (they) think ought to be collected".

To me this is far beyond what is acceptable use of power by the government.

[Sysman]

I also love the fact that we are now "customers".

So as a customer, can I take my business elsewhere?

Well you could, but that is exactly what Broon is trying to make impossible with his war on tax havens. If that isn't monopolistic and/or cartel behaviour I don't know what is.

[denver2k]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...y-taxavoidance

britain is one of the biggest culprits for tax avoidance, all those foreign rich folk that are here and have sweet deals with hmrc. How much tax does al fayed pay?

How much tax Al Fayed is paying should not be an issue, instead of that look at number of people he's providing employment (who eventually pay taxes)....

As all Limited Company owners do, presumably he too does go down this route

"Low Salary+High expenses+High Dividend + (Some loopholes ) = Low Taxes"

Fair enough ...init....

As long as he's paying reasonable council tax , providing employment(without making people redundant) and other bits and bobs, its alright....Why should any1 pay taxes for junkies of Chatsworth Estate...

Unfortunately at this point of time, Britain need rich foreigners (and their money in economy) more than they need Britain...

[Sysman]

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/avoidance/vision-strategy.htm
1. "tax we think ought to be collected"??
Make the rules and then stick to them.

2. "Avoid their responsibilities"??
You mean, it is my responsibility not just to obey the rules, but to make sure that you get what you had in mind to get?

Here we have to look at public sector employee mentality. Their thinking seems to be based on "Because we don't get that, private sector employees* shouldn't have that either". They certainly don't understand concepts such as getting paid late or having customers go bust on you.

* I deliberated about the use of "employees" there, but in the public sector everyone is an employee. A lot of them simply don't understand what self employment is all about - e.g. not getting paid when ill.

[sal626]

I also love the fact that we are now "customers".

So as a customer, can I take my business elsewhere?

[expat]

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/avoidance/vision-strategy.htm

The Strategy

A small minority of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) customers continue to engage in tax avoidance, which undermines the delivery of fair tax outcomes. We aim to persuade our customers not to attempt to engage in avoidance

Why tax avoidance is a problem for everyone

The Government, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and HM Treasury (HMT) have a shared objective of minimising the tax gap (that is, the difference between the tax collected and the tax we think ought to be collected) within the context of the Government wider agendas. We want to provide our customers with a level playing field while maintaining the UK's international competitiveness. Our strategy for delivering this objective is through encouraging everyone to pay tax at the right time and vigorously tackling those who deliberately avoid their responsibilities.

1. "tax we think ought to be collected"??
Make the rules and then stick to them.

2. "Avoid their responsibilities"??
You mean, it is my responsibility not just to obey the rules, but to make sure that you get what you had in mind to get?

[expat]

Note the contrast:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_avo...nd_tax_evasion

Tax avoidance and tax evasion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the tax regime to one's own advantage, in order to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. By contrast tax evasion is the general term for efforts to not pay taxes by illegal means

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/avoidance/index.htm

Welcome to HMRC's Anti-Avoidance Group (AAG) pages.
Tax avoidance remains a substantial threat to the Exchequer and the AAG has been established to co-ordinate HMRC's anti-avoidance activity in a systematic manner.

[expat]

Richard Murphy, of the campaign group Tax Justice Network, said Brown's letter could represent a symbolic moment. "What he is saying is that the UK is pushing the process further. They're pushing for action on tax avoidance - not just evasion - to benefit developing countries, not just developed countries."

So abandon the old idea that tax evasion is breaking the law, but tax avoidance is legal. Now, avoiding paying the amount of tax that you "should" be paying will be a crime, even if it doesn't break the law.

[GreenerGrass]

Just saw an advert for Jersey on TV, they said "Come to Jersey - there is no tax because we don't have a massive population of unproductive parasites to support", or words to that effect.

[Sysman]

So Brown has promised to hammer tax havens around the world, and he presides over one of the worst of the lot?

It's cartel behaviour.

cartel |kärˈtel|

noun

• an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition : the Colombian drug cartels.

[SantaClaus]

So Brown has promised to hammer tax havens around the world, and he presides over one of the worst of the lot?

And as the Sunday Times said today, the govt. owned Northern Rock has a branch in the channel islands. Talk about hypocrisy!

[Doggy Styles]

So Brown has promised to hammer tax havens around the world, and he presides over one of the worst of the lot?

[TykeMerc]

Wasn't there an agreement for a lot of these non-dom people resident in the UK to pay an up front £30k?

Fairly sure I recall that in the news 12+ months ago.