Tax avoidance is the latest hot topic thanks to The Times and David Cameron letting the cat out the bag about comedian Jimmy Carr and his K2 scheme where he does god knows what but the final result is he only pays 1% tax and keeps the other 44% in his bank account.
The irony is that much of Jimmy Carr's spiel on shows such as 10 O'clock Live is ripping into greedy bankers and expense swindling politicians and here is exposed as squirreling away £3.3 million annually through some dodgy, but legal, tax scam.
Tax avoidance is wrong and for Carr and his accountant to have to go out of their way to avoid paying tax, especially when the rest of the country is facing cuts because of reduced tax revenues coming into Government coffers, makes me angry and I hope Carr faces the rest of his career being heckled by angry taxpayers despite he latest statement which says will: 'in future conduct my financial affairs much more responsibly.' Now you got caught you will yeah.
Being a comedian who has bashed the Conservative Government over there abysmal record, the Prime Minister casually mentioning Carr and his tax avoidance during a press conference smells of revenge although it is interesting that the other people mentioned by The Times, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen of Take That are not receiving such individual attention by the Prime Minister.
Just a coincidence probably that Gary Barlow is a Conservative Party donor and after the PM called Carr's avoidance 'morally wrong', he declined to comment on news that Barlow and the other two had used a similar avoidance scheme to place a taxable £26 million.
Mr Cameron said he was not going to give a running commentary on people's tax affairs just after he gave a running commentary on Jimmy Carr's but the Conservatives has a history of protecting their own, such as donor Michael Ashcroft who shovelled millions into an offshore account to avoid tax
and still got made a Lord nomination from the Tories.
National laughing stock John Prescott summed it up brilliantly on Twitter: 'So if you're a comedian and avoid tax, the Tories condemn you. If you're a millionaire donor and avoid tax, you get a peerage!.
When even two jags is scoring points off you, you know you are on wobbly ground Dave.
2 comments:
Cameron's hypocrisy is breath-taking here. His own father bolstered the family fortune by using offshore tax havens in Panama and Geneva. He might never have gone to Eton and become PM were it not for this!
As for Carr, I think he is being a freeloader, but this is just what many people do when they have a chance. The focus should be on closing these loopholes, rather than particularly blaming those who take advantage of them.
In the Independent there was a tiny 2 paragraph piece on the footballers who use a similar scam to Jimmy Carr, but haven't seen it anywhere else. Might have to go see if i can find it.
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