Each persons income and tax in the public domain?

Quite honestly, so far as declared wealth is concerned, I think our tax system is fair. The wealthy do contribute hugely to our economy. Closing the loopholes is important though.

Yes, exactly Anniebach. That's why the government needs to get moving.

Face it, if you had loads of money and the loopholes were there, you would get a clever accountant. It's human nature. Some would say, common sense.

It's no different to being onto the ways of avoiding Inheritance Tax. And most sensible people do that.

Even those without the money for an accountant can read up on the net about it.

It's the undeclared that's the problem.

How about we all, along with all the other paye folk, set up overseas stashes, where on earth would this country be then?

It's the accountants who are wrong, though, jingl.
They should be doing the moral thing and not finding loopholes.

Richard Murphy of www.taxresearch.org.uk is an accountant. He has never felt the need to ensure that people pay less tax than is morally required.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/04/08/if-an-action-doesnt-reduce-inequality-why-is-government-doing-it/

This is why.
The government collects taxes from all who earn enough in order to make life worth living for those who do not earn enough to live on.
Cameron has not been doing that, and possibly many of his mates have not been playing fair either.
Taxes should be fair. That's why Norway and Denmark are better countries to live in than the UK now.

wageindicator.co.uk/

This tells you how much individuals are paid.
Tony Blair gets 33,000+ a day!

jendurham I am so tempted to say "get real". So long as the tax loopholes are within the law, it's an accountant's job to find them. That is a large part of why they are retained.

Would you know how to do it whitewave? Buggered blowed if I would.

I believe that the PM should have told us he had off-shore money. Not very trustworthy.

He used to have. All sold off 6 years ago. Not secret just private and above board. How annoying for some...

I'm afraid, like or not lots of people avoid tax particularly inheritance tax!!! I think D.C. would have been more sensible for the sake of peace, to have told us all about money left to him by his late father, also everything else about it!! The fact that none of it was illegal, any more than inheritance tax avoidance is, seems to be irrelevant, it will be chewed over and over again! PR howler, but not a hanging offence.

Cameron said of Jimmy Carr and his attempt to avoid tax that it was immoral, not ilegal, so sauce for the goose etc

Haven't a clue jing my piddly pension isn't worth the hassle though.

What I do think is that things like inheritance tax pales into insignificance compared to what they are talking about, and besides all that is entirely in the open its the stuff hidden that is annoying because we don't know what is not declared for tax purposes

Don't kid yourself nell ask yourself why does anyone bother to set up a company offshore? Then ask how Cameron benefited from these overseas companies - there is more than one. Then ask yourself whether you agree with Cameron's statement that tax avoidance is immoral.

I don't think our tax system is fair. Why have tax avoidance measures, loop holes or whatever you want to call them? If everyone had a tax allowance and paid tax at the same rate on all they earn whether by working themselves or working their capital then, I imagine, many with very little would pay less and - you never know - perhaps most people would.

I agree that DC has done nothing illegal or, under current rules, wrong but it seems to me that there is a wave (Tsunami?) of reflection on whether this should be legal. Let's hope they decide to stop this and make people "get real" and actually admit to what they have and what they have done with it.

If a person on benefits stashed their cash so they felt it was OK not to declare it and it was discovered, this it would be illegal - I can't see the difference personally.

D.C. hasn't done anything Illegal!! I'm sure he did benefit from the money his father left him, he can hardly be blamed for anything his father did anymore than anyone else can! He sold his portfolio, paid the relevant tax, and as I understand it made £19. 000. quite legally, like anyone else.. Avoiding inheritance tax is ok then because it doesn't involve such large sums of money?!! Surely it's the intent that is the issue here not the sum involved?!!

annieb and whitewave, That's what gets me - the hypocrisy.

Avoiding inheritance tax by passing assets directly to children is, in my opinion, on the blurry edge between tax avoidance and tax minimisation, but (as you say) pales into insignificance compared with what's going on in offshore accounts.

Assuming Cameron has now revealed all (ahem) and giving him the benefit of the doubt, it's hard to understand why he didn't come clean at the start. The amount he claims to have gained is very small compared with some of the other big players. The trouble is that with his press statements and attempting to avoid the question, he's confirmed himself as slippery (as if we didn't already know). People will naturally think there's more which is still being hidden, because he doesn't inspire trust. Hopefully more people will listen to his answers and ask themselves about the questions he doesn't answer. Osborne and other ministers do the same thing.

I don't think anybody has suggested that Cameron has benefited from anything illegal. It's a moral issue and Cameron, himself, has been very keen to use moral blackmail. How many times has he tried to shame people for not doing the 'right thing'? That's what really gets to me.

I'm actually more interested in Arron Banks, the man who donated £1 million to UKIP and is named in the Panama Papers. He's the main backer of the Leave EU campaign and I wonder what's in it for him. This is a man who avoids paying tax to pay for the schools and hospitals of the country he professes to love. Hmmm! He seems to want to use his money to buy power www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/arron-banks-ukip-takeover-reveal_uk_57067bfae4b0ad0f20cb2267 IMHO this is an attempt to undermine an already fragile democracy and is potentially dangerous. Anybody who supports this kind of thing deserves what they get, but I don't want to be dragged down with them.

I do agree with D.C. that tax avoidance is immoral. He is perfectly entitled to say this as he personally has not avoided tax!!

What gives you that impression nell?

You wish!!!!!

So why buy shares off shore Nellie ?

If it was truely as Cameron has finally decided to say why not say it at the beginning of the week. All he had to say was - I had shares in an off shore account and sold them in January 2020. We have had five different statements. Why ? Panic? If so why panic if it was all legal?

And he didn't declare these shares when an MP

No point in saying he hasn't done anything illegal. He and his cronies make the laws.
He has been telling us for years that he will improve the law so that what his dad did will not happen. He told us over two years ago that he would publish his tax returns.
He's a spiv, a conman, a PR man; unfortunately his PR let him down this time.
I'm waiting for the tears about his dad.

Would you be proud of your dad if all the money he had made was by tax dodging?