Paradise Papers

Hear, hear, jane10! We all know it goes on and nothing I've read about who, what, where today has surprised me. It would only be news if something were done about it.

I think it's quite hard to do something about though because if laws here are made better (to prevent tax avoidance) people will just move their money-making activities to where they don't have to pay up.

Yes, jura. Did you see that Apple says not only does it comply with the law, it complies with the spirit of the law.

Isle of Man should be in trouble, changing the law.

All those people who say they are unaware, and use other people to sort their finances are presumably from now on going to sack these companies and pay their taxes in full.

Twitter are complaining that taxpayers money has been spent on this Panorama programme!

Anyone going to stop watching Mrs Brown's Boys?

Not got a tele, have you Baggs?
The UK are in the centre of it all.
Do you think it's acceptable that laws can be bent here to allow people to pay themselves in a tax haven, where they pay no tax on income, then loan the money back to themselves, but not pay the loan back.
Do you think it's acceptable that people on programmes watched by many in the UK should not pay income tax after being paid by the BBC?
Shame on you if that's what you think.

Not goint to stop watching it - I never watch it- hate it! But one more reason for not watching it ;)

Same here, jura.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2017/11/06/dear-dear-dear/

For those who haven't had a chance to watch Ashcroft and Richard Bilton.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2017/11/06/people-with-some-explaining-to-do-the-ey-isle-of-man-tax-team/

As Meg Hillier said, there should be a lot of people brought to justice after tonight's programme.

Not a 91 year old woman - the queen

Isn't she the one who makes all the laws that we have to obey?
Isn't she the one who decides we have to pay taxes on all the money we make or earn in this country?

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2017/11/06/there-is-no-possible-right-wing-defence-for-tax-havens/

Good article here by Richard Murphy.

Regarding Mrs Brown's Boys, am I alone in wondering how the BBC can pay over £2 million to just 3 cast members in a year. How much does the show cost in total?

He said this in a report earlier this year:
It was the Beeb’s gamble on Mrs Brown that gave Brendan his biggest platform, but once the multi-year deal for his festive specials expires in 2020, could he be tempted to take his comedy series to another channel – or even an online service – for the right price?

“We have never done TV for money,” insists the funnyman. “I am not even joking – I don’t even know what we get paid by the BBC.

So they don't do it for the money

It doesn't say they earned £2 million a year. It says they diverted that amount into the accounts. No timing involved.

There is a difference between tax evasion which is illegal and tax avoidance in which anyone with an ISA is legitimately involved. If the public does’t like offshoring wealth they can do something about it democratically.

If there is a witch hunt against wealth then those creative and hardworking people who create it along with jobs and tax revenues will go elsewhere.

It is clearly a case of ‘beware of what you wish for’. I would be more exercised about the waste of public money one sees everywhere and the combination of jealousy and innumeracy observable in many individuals who also allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated by a biased media.

NfkDumpling We don't know that the Queen knows anything about having investments in tax havens. gillybob 'We as her loyal subjects'? You don't sound very loyal to me. She probably has nothing to do with her investments. I agree with sunseeker.

If there is a witch hunt against wealth then those creative and hardworking people who create it along with jobs and tax revenues will go elsewhere.

So the argument goes. But are these people actually creating jobs? And if they are, why should the people working in these jobs be obliged to pay taxes while the wealthy job creator isn't? After all, this beneficent figure is taking advantage of all the state funded infrastructure for 'creating' their wealth without paying their fair share of the costs. Frankly, I think this is a ridiculous argument.
Additionally, a a great many of these people aren't in the slightest bit 'creative', nor do they create jobs. They just sit on inherited wealth, the creation of which they haven't contributed to in any way apart from being born to the right parents... Do tell me about, for example, the Queen's wonderful entrepreneurial skills and all the jobs she has created.

Sadly I am forced to be her subject whether I like it or not maddy629 I wouldn't say I am loyal ( I didn't vote her in) but like everyone else I have to abide by her Laws such as paying my taxes etc. It's easy to say I didn't know where my money was invested. She should set a good example, apologise and change right now .

ISAs are NOT tax avoidance schemes. They were set up NOT to avoid the payment of tax but as an incentive to encourage saving. That is quite quite different from complex schemes set up operating in secret from off shore islands whose PRIME purpose is the avoidance of tax. Tax avoidance is legal - we know that - but it’s absolutely immoral. It strikes at the very heart of fairness between individuals in their proportionate contribution to the provision of services such as the armed services, police, motorways, NHS , education etc from which we all benefit. It’s not a witch hunt to name and shame those very very wealthy individuals who decide that they do not support fairness yet want to benefit from a society in which the rest of us do pay our fair share.if LH and LA were caught up in a terroist attack they would have all the benefits of the emergency services, they drive on our motorways. I’m appalled that governments are not tackling the problem in any meaningful way but that doesn’t excuse for one minute the selfish greedy immoral behaviour of obscenely wealthy individuals,As for ER what exactly is the point of her if not to embody ‘British’ values? Maybe some of you think she does - British values of greed, unfairness, sod the poor, sod individual responsibility for behaving morally, selfishness and entitlement, unearned inherited privilege? What a world we live in - PP, BJ, the whole sexual harassment abuse. I just despair but the worst of all are the apologists amongst ordinary people for this whole group of people and their behaviour

So basically those who lean politically to the right say this is not an issue and leave the Queen alone, and those on the left think everyone should pay there fair share.

Their fair share.

Anya First time anyone on here has suggested I'm politically to the right!!!

I was saying leave the Queen out of it because many of these wealthy people play a very dark role in politics which we should be concerned about because it both benefits no-one but themselves and is anti-democratic. For a collection of people who voted in the main to 'take back control' from 'unelected bureaucrats' Gnetters seem strangely unconcerned at their government being run by, and for the benefit of, unelected wealthy individuals. The Queen, foolish though someof her investments might have been, is not trying to subvert our democracy.

Is she not? Her useless son certainly is

And it’s about what she symbolises as well isn’t it? Inherited privelege

The Queen does not "make our laws" that is done by our elected representatives. I am surprised that those who are so politically astute seem to be unaware of this.

FGS dj, The Queen doesn't make the laws of this country she rubber stamps them and VERY rarely, if ever queries them. Perhaps you aren't aware that she's a constitutional monarch?! The clue is in the word 'Constitutional'!
All this gunning for the Queen is quite absurd when there are MUCH bigger fish to fry. FGS, turn your anger on them, and leave her alone. Enough is enough!