It says in the bible "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". How many of us have paid cash for a job, knowing that the person doing the work is sticking the money in their pocket without declaring it? How many of us have not at some point bought duty free cigarettes and booze, because they are cheaper? How many of us have invested in a tax free ISA so we make more money? We criticise Cameron at our own peril as we are a nation who loves dodging tax. If everyone of us paid all the tax we could afford and took no efforts to minimise it (legally or not), we'd have plenty of cash for the NHS, plenty for good schools, plenty for new trains and roads. We don't like David Cameron, because when we see what he's doing, we see a reflection of ourselves in the mirror. I've been bombaded with emails from people telling me I should write a piece slagging him off for not paying tax. It is the last thing I would do because as far as I am concerned, he's simply indulging in our favourite national hobby.
There are plenty that I consider are wrong with Mr Camerons morals, such as applying a double standard to banks and steel workers, claiming he cares for the NHS, whilst presiding over its destruction and the scandalous way our ex servicement end up on the street with mental illness, having been broken fighting wars Cameron and the political classes start. It is ironic to me that Camerons biggest credibility crisis is at the whip hand of something we all do. You may say ISA's and Duty free are perfectly legal means of tax avoidance. So is salting your dosh away in offshore funds. If you don't want such things and you think the NHS is more valuable than subsidising the well off, smokers and boozers then fine.
I daresay these views are none to popular. I'd suggest that is because they are true.
2 comments:
I think you have got it a bit wrong Rog, but then I may have too and it wouldn't be the first time! I am not overly bothered about so-called legal tax avoidance schemes, per se. What I am concerned about is being unable to trust those who are supposed to be looking after our finances, our institutions and our people.
Not to mention those who have given their lives being deployed into war zones (me included by the by!), those who have spent their lives paying into an NHS service and a personal pension pot, only to be deprived of help later when they really need it, by a government concerned only about looking after themselves and their elitist pals.
What turns me against any one individual, or organisation, is: the lying; the deceit; the misleading; the downright dishonesty, of those very people who have the most to gain from playing the tax game. And Mr Cameron has been guilty of all of those things, probably for a lot longer than the last few days since his tax affairs have been uncovered. He and his cronies, of all the people who should be trustworthy, are the very reason I cannot, will not, trust a single politician, ever...
I believe you are being somewhat simplistic in your comments, for those who already have plenty, gain much, much more than the rest of the petty tax dodgers who, by the way, may be indulging in criminal activity when giving or accepting cash and not declaring it. Whereas the privileged few have pots of it in the first place, find 'legal' ways to avoid tax, but have an over-riding responsibility to those who need it most and find all sorts of ways and excuses to avoid that responsibility, generally by penalising the needy even more!
And do not get me started on the petty, back-stabbing, mindless, childish, borish behaviour of all politicians in 'that place'...
Rog...
AKA - Venomator...
Maybe you missed my point. What I was trying to say and probably failing was that you don't need to scour through Cameron's tax return to see he's a bit dodgy. Just look at his policies. We all like to save a bit of tax but we don't all shaft 99% of the country to look after our own narrow interests
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