Panama Papers

chippa1909 said:
Panorama was lightweight in my opinion, focussing on Iceland and Putin ( and Putins cellist friend), but not even a mention of HSBC (perhaps not surprising given that the head of BBC is a director of HSBC.
Click to expand...

Usual double standards from the BBC.
It looks like Putin and the Icelandic president's accounts shown on the programme were held in the British Virgin Isles and not Panama.
BBC headquarters in Scotland are owned by a Cayman Islands company.
 
From listening to the experts it's clear that tackling the Offshore Tax Haven issue is not something the UK can do by itself - it needs to be coordinated with as many interested countries working very closely together - harmonising their approach - in fact working together with the rest of Europe would seem to be a good place to be. And what a financial benefit to the UK exchequer might come out of it. But oh dear - some wish to extract ourselves from such a cross-Europe grouping.

Never mind - once out I'm sure BoJo will be able to grasp the detail and intricacies of all of this and sort it out. Good old BoJo. Just the man for that job...
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
From listening to the experts it's clear that tackling the Offshore Tax Haven issue is not something the UK can do by itself - it needs to be coordinated with as many interested countries working very closely together - harmonising their approach - in fact working together with the rest of Europe would seem to be a good place to be. And what a financial benefit to the UK exchequer might come out of it. But oh dear - some wish to extract ourselves from such a cross-Europe grouping.

Never mind - once out I'm sure BoJo will be able to grasp the detail and intricacies of all of this and sort it out. Good old BoJo. Just the man for that job...
Click to expand...

Are you honestly suggesting that EU countries are good at squeezing tax out of their people?
 
Saw the panorama programme and the company covered from the proceeds of the bricks Matt robbery and the company knew all about it. Seems the first casualty was the Icelandic primeminister.
 
As an aside, over half of the world's shipping is under a flag of convenience, like Panama and Liberia, allowing shipping companies to avoid no end of costs and taxes.
 
We should pay less tax and be able to decide more how we spend our hard earned money. So much is squandered by Government as if it's their money, not ours.

This little poem puts much into perspective for me.


“Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he’s fed.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid.

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
It’s time to apply
The inheritance tax.
 
SocketRocket said:
Are you honestly suggesting that EU countries are good at squeezing tax out of their people?
Click to expand...

I have read it suggested that if you are going to coordinate activity between different countries in order to address tax haven issues it would be much better done in organised cooperative groups - such as the EU.
 
SocketRocket said:
We should pay less tax and be able to decide more how we spend our hard earned money. So much is squandered by Government as if it's their money, not ours.
Click to expand...

Well you will as long as you are OK and are happy to walk the streets surrounded by squalor and deprivation when there is no money for centrally funded services
 
SocketRocket said:
We should pay less tax and be able to decide more how we spend our hard earned money. So much is squandered by Government as if it's their money, not ours.

This little poem puts much into perspective for me.


“Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he’s fed.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid.

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
It’s time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Click to expand...

Exactly right! I don't mind paying tax if it's prudently spent in the National interests, rather than lining the pockets of corrupt politicians in false expenses claims, etc! :(
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Well you will as long as you are OK and are happy to walk the streets surrounded by squalor and deprivation when there is no money for centrally funded services
Click to expand...

Thats exaggerating the point! I didn't say pay no tax, I said pay less. If I want to support India's space program or build up of warships then I would prefer to make that decision my self, if I want to help people in Africa get clean drinking water I will also decide that on my own. I am quite capable of selecting a refuse company to empty my waste bin and if I could keep some more of my money I may have decided which school my kids went to. We are taxed a silly amount and the reason is that it creates the gravy train for the state to wallow in.
 
SocketRocket said:
Thats exaggerating the point! I didn't say pay no tax, I said pay less. If I want to support India's space program or build up of warships then I would prefer to make that decision my self, if I want to help people in Africa get clean drinking water I will also decide that on my own. I am quite capable of selecting a refuse company to empty my waste bin and if I could keep some more of my money I may have decided which school my kids went to. We are taxed a silly amount and the reason is that it creates the gravy train for the state to wallow in.
Click to expand...

That is indeed it seems a commonly held point of view in this country, but we look to Iceland for a contrast - they force their PM out because they believe that paying your taxes in full is a moral duty rather than just a legal commitment. And it seems that in this country with those who have more, the less they feel inclined towards moral duty, and they justify their actions through legalistic argument and semantics around avoidance and evasion, legitimate financial planning or unlawful activity. And so it goes.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
That is indeed it seems a commonly held point of view in this country, but we look to Iceland for a contrast - they force their PM out because they believe that paying your taxes in full is a moral duty rather than just a legal commitment. And it seems that in this country with those who have more, the less they feel inclined towards moral duty, and they justify their actions through legalistic argument and semantics around avoidance and evasion, legitimate financial planning or unlawful activity. And so it goes.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what your point is, you seem to be changing the goal posts, I don't believe anyone here is suggesting people should not pay their fair rate of tax. My point is that we pay too much tax and it's not good for the creation of wealth, jobs, business and freedom of choice. Large amounts of tax payers money is squandered and wasted by the state and this IMO is just as bad as people avoiding tax.
 
Isnt it a bit funny that there are no Americans exposed in these papers?
 
chippa1909 said:
Oops. Here's Cameron's fifth statement on the matter in four days.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/201...-profited-fathers-offshore-fund-panama-papers

Seems that Dave's been economical with the truth.
Click to expand...

Didn't Cameron say the other day that he hadn't benefited from the fund set up by his father? And now he admits to having held shares in the company but he sold them before he became PM. Quite aside from the fact that he did benefit from it through any inheritance from his father, if he has lied and as now seems certain then surely

And this post isn't from a Labour supporter looking to bash the Tory's for any reason going it's from someone that voted Conservative at the last election.
 
ColchesterFC said:
Didn't Cameron say the other day that he hadn't benefited from the fund set up by his father? And now he admits to having held shares in the company but he sold them before he became PM. Quite aside from the fact that he did benefit from it through any inheritance from his father, if he has lied and as now seems certain then surely

And this post isn't from a Labour supporter looking to bash the Tory's for any reason going it's from someone that voted Conservative at the last election.
Click to expand...

Yup. We'll see if the press treat Cameron's lying as seriously as Corbyn not wearing a tie.
 
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