The establishment loves a good witchhunt, especially when it involves disclosing individuals details and throwing them to the press lions, whether it be phone hacking or super injunction. Latest : Celebrity Tax Avoidance.
David Cameron went on TV recently to publically denounce Comedian Jimmy Carr for his use of an Offshore Jersey tax avoidance scheme. Carr has since issued a statement stating he has made a grave error of judgement and withdrawn from the scheme.
Cameron’s hypocrisy knows no bounds, whilst Carr and other celebrities have used these HMRC endorsed schemes, what about Lord Ashcroft, the former Tory deputy chairman, who is domiciled abroad for tax purposes, despite sitting in the House of Lords.
Ex-Tory Lord Blencathra, the former Chief Tory Whip decided funnelling his money through the Cayman Islands wasn’t enough. He decided to GO LIVE THERE TOO! He even lobbies on behalf of the Cayman Island government on UK policy.
Or how about top Tory party fund contributor Sir Philip Green, – AKA Mr Topshop who used his Monaco based wife to buy into his Arcadia group saving themselves the tidy sum of £285 million in UK tax.
All legal and all above board.
Next celeb in the firing line : Gary Barlow, with Labour MP Stephen Pound suggesting Barlow’s OBE should be taken off of him for investing £26 million of Take That earnings – in a scheme designed to avoid paying tax.
What a bunch of media–populist jokers we have in Westminster. No wonder the last election result was a Hung parliament, no one has any confidence in any of them.
Meanwhile, celebrities will be quaking in their boots as the spotlight moves their way. If Cameron and his cronies have a problem with Jimmy Carr and company, then they should change the tax laws and allow HMRC to get on with their job, rather than get involved in tit-for-tat attacks in the media.
But then again it was this government spent £1.1 Billion sacking 3,300 HMRC workers last year (they have paid for themselves 11 times over in the last 10 years through amount of collected tax) so even if they do change the rules they won’t have enough people to collect.
It was also the Tory’s in the EU Parliament in April, who voted against the widest range of measures to tackle the very problem of tax avoidence, why? Because they would be the biggest losers as some of the Richest people in this country.
No wonder this country is going down the toilet.
Rant over.