Tax Havens

I couldn't possible comment , I don't have off shore investments or a pension , I will leave it to those with knowledge gained by experience

You need to look at the bigger picture nonnie it is fun targeting what you see as a political opponent, but as I just said to Annie none of it matters providing you understand what is really going on.

No annie it isn't over, the world is now alert to the anti-democratic way the wealthy get what they want. We have had confirmed everything we suspected. We will look much more suspiciously on all liberal tax laws passed in future. We will no longer trust politicians -if we ever did- and everything in future will be seen through the prism of tax avoidance, much like the expenses are.
A precedent is now set with regard to transparency,although in truth this will simply give more money to the accountants.

We know now that we are not all in this together - Osborne is going to find the next round of spending cuts a tad difficult - and that the tax system in the UK is unfair with the poor suffering and the middle income paying.

So light has been shone and will hopefully not be diminished. One person like DC is only a symptom of what is wrong - he doesn't matter a fig in the scheme of things.

Oh dear, looks like I will have to spell it out having not wanted to do so because I didn't want to patronise anyone by assuming they didn't understand the simple basics of international finance. Pension funds, mortgage lenders, savings institutions invest some of their money off shore. Now do you understand?

I would be very surprised to find out that most people didn't have at least one of those since auto-enrolment into pensions came into force.

I wonder if anyone can explain to me why there hasn't been the same witch hunt against those on the left who might have other forms of income apart from their parliamentary salaries? Is it that none of them do or that those on the right don't feel the need to dig up people's private information? Or is there another reason?

Well it's over , Dave wriggled out of it - I did say he would start with his father then attack. Things will not change whilst we have a Tory government .

For me, anyone who invests money off shore is guilty of robbing the disabled of their mobility etc. No different to those who work for cash in hand. For me tax avoiders, tax dodgers and benefit cheats are birds of a feather

True grumppa

Will let you know come May grumppa, he isn't standing in the South or the North, UKIP has chosen him for Mid , yuck . I am putting posters in my windows today , keeps them all away from the door

Surely the Welsh won't elect him? Leaving aside his money-grubbing, he is the most pathetic government minister I ever came across.

I was referring to Neil Hamilton

We have got that corrupt money grabbing ex Tory MP standing in our constituency for UKIP in the Welsh elections this May

Of course they shouldn't, whitewave. And what can we do about those wretched voters who elect them? Let's just have party apparatchiks we can rely on, so much safer than demicracy, which relies on trusting the people.

I'm afraid twits like Duncan, and others in all parties, are the price we pay.

Didn't expect anything else, he is a Tory and showed the true blue colours of a Tory yesterday

The comments by Duncan left me breathless. Should such people be allowed in Parliament. Dreadful little man.

POGS Why do you consider inheritance tax to be "a shit tax"?

Alan Duncan can't present a reasoned argument but instead resorts to flinging around insults:-

"Shouldn’t the Prime Minister’s critics really just snap out of their synthetic indignation and admit that their real point is that they hate anyone who’s even got a hint of wealth in their life?” he asked.

“.... we risk seeing a House of Commons which is stuffed full of low achievers, who hate enterprise, hate people who look after their own family and who know absolute nothing about the outside world.”

Well, Alan Duncan certainly could never be accused of not being enterprising. This multi-millionaire ex oil trader with some very controversial financial supporters thought it quite in order to claim more than £4,000 for expenses incurred in relation to garden maintenance. When this claim was questioned, he complained that MPs were having to "live on rations and are treated like shit".

He resigned from a ministerial post following controversy surrounding property deals. In particular, he lent an elderly Westminster neighbour money to buy his 18th century council home under the Right to Buy scheme - the neighbour sold it to Alan Duncan three years later.

Frankly, I think the country can do without such "enterprise" and "high achievement".

I, and I'm sure many other people, take great exception to the implication that those whose lives are not devoted to obtaining as much money as possible by whatever means are "low achievers" who are incapable of looking after themselves and their families.

ab, There is no law which states that Farage MUST declare his income and wealth. Likewise, any income he has should already be in the public domain, unless he's been taking backhanders (and I'm not suggesting for one moment that he has). It wouldn't take long to collate it all and I wouldn't mind betting it will be in the media in a couple of days.

MPs' publishing their legal income isn't actually a big deal. Anybody with a few hours to spare could work it out from public records. Salaries from directorships and dividends from shares should also be available. Banks wouldn't publish details of interest, but I think (and I'm too tired to check) that's a result of confidentiality agreements between banks and their customers and nothing to do with the Data Protection Act.

Companies like the one in Panama are shielding information from the public domain which would normally be available if money were only in the UK.

Daphnedil

I will ask about it when I go next.

Thanks for answering, you clever dick.

Ah well, POGS! Sorry, I'm not in clever dick mode! ;-( However, I might have found your answer from the Information Commissioner's Office.

"Sensitive personal data means personal data consisting of information as to -

(a) the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject,

(b) his political opinions,

(c ) his religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature,

(d) whether he is a member of a trade union (within the meaning of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992),

(e) his physical or mental health or condition,

(f) his sexual life,

(g) the commission or alleged commission by him of any offence, or

(h) any proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed by him, the disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceedings."

In other words, financial details aren't covered by the Act.

I suspect that your club is being over-cautious and has misinterpreted the Act, in the same way that many 'elf and safety rules are actually over-zealous interpretations of the law.

dj, The records which the NHS sold aren't covered by the Data Protection Act, because they don't identify individuals - in theory. A determined researcher could find out details of an individual, especially if he/she happens to have a rare illness.

I doubt income and wealth isn't covered, many have been wanting to find what Farage is up to

Nope I don't know the answer and I am not going to wade through the Data Protection Act either.

I asked the question as I thought some clever dick/soul could give an answer but it looks unlikely so far.

POGS, You would have to read the Data Protection Act for the answer to your question. I agree with not putting addresses on a public notice board, so I wonder why the addresses of anybody seconding a local councillor is on the internet for all to see. The Data Protection Act only covers specified information, so it might well be the case that income and wealth isn't covered. I don't know, so let us know if you find out the answer.

It might not be pinned up on a wall in a library but if is a requirement to make our tax returns public knowledge then why won't I be able to view anybody else's information. After all there would be no protection because the Data Protection Act will be gone presumably. Or will it be replaced by another law that all states all Tories must publicly publish theirs but nobody else, that seems to be the crux of the matter as I read certain posts. I haven't noticed one voice on GN call for ' all ' Parliamentary MP's to publish their finances , why not.?

I could be a right nosey b---h and look up my neighbours finances or somebody I don't like. Why not? I could be a nosey b--h and wonder what a neighbour claiming benefits gets. If we can't look at other peoples financial records what is the reason for making it law.

You mention the NHS and opting out, what do you mean, we could opt out?

They would probably bring the law out at 5.00 p.m. on a Friday night just before parliament broke up for the summer.

There would be a new law to say that we had to. Have you not heard about the NHS selling our details to anyone who wants them unless we opt out?
I don't think the idea would be to pin our tax returns up in the library or community centre.