One silly judge let Ken Dodd off in spite of clear proof that he had been taking undeclared cash over to the Isle of Man and it seemed that many people found that funny and acceptable. I didn't. However, the Conservative Party is in no position to be sanctimonious, as some of its biggest donors pay virtually no tax in Britain.
Whenever one loophole is closed, the rich will employ clever accountants to find another, but that is not a reason for HMCR to give up trying.
The change to Self Assessment,which was simply to save money on the salaries of experienced Tax Inspectors, has been a disaster. Just another example of short-termism in politics.
In the meantime, Dave Hartnett, CEO of HMCR has been doing deals with large companies, such as Vodophone, saving them many millions in tax and interest againt the advice of his own lawyers. He refused to answer questions to an official enquiry on the grounds that he could not break 'client confidentiality'. Of course, only Private Eye has had the courage to pursue him for a couple of years. Strangely, he has not threatend to sue. Hartnett will be retiring in a few weeks and is booked to speak at a conference entitled Practical Tax Planning 2012 shortly after he leaves office.
Quis custodiet ipso custodes?