Tax Havens

nellie Benn wasn't hiding his wealth in order to avoid paying UK tax. Cameron senior did, and you have to ask yourself why.

Oh come come! Benn went to great lengths to protect his wealth from the taxman, this required professional, detailed and a well thought out avoidance plan! ditto Ian Cameron. What their fathers did cannot possibly be the fault of either Hilary Benn or David Cameron, but to try and make out that somehow Tony B was ethical and therefore ok and Ian C wasn't is laughable!!

niggly, He wasn't hiding it - that's the point! I have my own thoughts about inheritance and inheritance tax, but what Tony Benn ( or his late wife) did was something many people do. I don't think it's right and I was never a fan of Tony Benn, but what he did is seriously not in the same league.

Its in a much worse league! Cameron didn't avoid tax. Benn specifically did by inheritance tax shenanigans.

nell everyone knew what Benn was worth it was in his will.

We haven't a clue what Ian Cameron was worth

Jane, Benn minimised tax liability using the law. No shenanigans about it! My ex-MIL has done the same thing for her son and my children. I don't happen to agree with it, but it's a gaping hole and something anybody with assets over £1million would be foolish not to exploit.

Offshore, secret accounts involving all sorts of networks are a different ball game.

They both deliberately avoided tax! Tony Benns wife left her share of their property to their children to minimise the inheritance tax burden, sensible planning to some, avoidance to others, ditto Ian Cameron. Variation on a theme of course and not much to choose between them, but their sons are not to blame. Mind you I suppose the junior Benns could have refused this arrangement, but then which one of us would?!

What I can't.understand is that Tony Benn always led us all to believe that he deeply disapproved of anything even remotely resembling tax avoidance, or the manipulation of money whether it was legal or not! I suppose whatever your beliefs and moral standing, it's different when it's your own family!!

Nobody knows how much money Ian Cameron had to leave his children overall, because it's still coming out that he had funds in Switzerland, and Jersey, and heaven knows how many other places.

Ian Cameron and his son did the same thing about the house that Tony Benn did. David Cameron's brother, Alexander, took over the family house, worth £2.3 million in 2006. They swapped ownership.

The difference betwen the two families is the secrecy. I am surprised you cannot see that, niggly.

newsthump.com/2016/04/07/david-cameron-appoints-sir-john-chilcot-to-lead-inquiry-into-familys-tax-affairs/

niggly, Was Benn responsible for his wife's will?

dj, I've given Cameron the benefit of the doubt so far. It will be interesting to see what happens when his mother dies. The fact is that Cameron is a slippery toad.

There are so many tax loopholes which could be closed down if there were a will - but, of course, there isn't a will. In my opinion, it's not good enough to claim they're legal, when the government itself plays the 'moral' code with strivers versus skivers lectures. The fact is that it''s better to be a 'spiv' , who acts legally but immorally, in todays' society. What kind of moral code is that?

Strange that Labour didn't close all those loopholes when they were in power. Wonder why?

Very enlightening reading through the Jimmy Carr thread from 2012.

Ladbrokes has 3 - 1 that Cameron will leave after the referendum.

indy100.independent.co.uk/article/five-statements-that-made-this-david-camerons-worst-week-as-prime-ministerand-they-were-all-his-own--ZJdUp41alW

Just to add to his woes, UK productivity is the worst it has been since 2008.
They'd better hang onto the steel companies.

Everything feels as if its unravelling.

Someone said today that it would be better if Cameron and Osborne went before the referendum as the waters are going to be took muddied otherwise

Too!

No of course he wasn't, but I can't believe that he disapproved, they were a very close couple, with the same political beliefs, so it would be strange if they weren't in step over their personal arrangements. I haven't got a problem with it , to me it's a sensible, legal precaution to protect family assets from the state, but others could see it differently. All politicians are slippery toads, when push comes to personal shove! Bit like the education of their children. There's always a good reason for their choices, but it's rarely the local catchment area school whatever their beliefs - somehow these rules and for some even their disaproval of private schools doesn't apply to them but their reasons are perfectly excusable, whereas ours aren't!!!!!

Marina Hyde has a good name for it - trickle-down tax-dodging.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/08/david-cameron-tax-dodging-cover-up-labour

I disagree with you, niggly. Not all politicians are slippery toads and if you voted for one, more fool you!

Depressing article though

I could hardly avoid it!

Someone said today that it would be better if Cameron and Osborne went before the referendum as the waters are going to be took muddied otherwise

Oh, how ridiculous - talk about a hysterical reaction! It's not going to happen, no matter how much some of you may want it to.

Of course its wishful thinking.

What's wrong with wishful thinking?

Been wishing for ages that Cameron would be found out for the cheat that he is, and look what's happened.