Comedian, Jimmy Carr, says he has "made a terrible error of judgement" over using a tax avoidance scheme, and spent the whole of last night's episode of 'Eight out Of Ten Cats' looking forelorn and being endlessly apologetic.
But, let's get one thing quite clear:
Tax avoidance is LEGAL.
Tax EVASION is what's not legal.
There is a system, 'tolerated' and, more pertinently, utilised by the solipsist capitalists, of which David Cameron is one, to avoid the paying of tax.
Anyone can use it.
Anyone can avoid paying tax.
Anyone can set up an Image Rights company and have their earnings paid into it.
Anyone can route their income via Jersey or Luxembourg or some other tax haven.
Anyone can do this.
This system is perfectly legal, set up on the whim of capitalists, so that they don't have to pay tax.
This system is why there are single parents who pay more tax than the board-members of multi-national corporations.
In this context, read the quote from Cammers:
"The prime minister was asked about Mr Carr's arrangement on Wednesday during a visit to Mexico for the G20 summit.
He told ITV News the comedian's tax affairs were "straightforward tax avoidance" and it was unfair on the people who pay to watch the comic perform that he was not paying his taxes in the same way that they did."
Oh -- it's so hard for me to read these stories without swearing!!
"straightforward tax avoidance" is deemed perfectly fine, by the tax regime that he runs and endorses!
There is a massive discontinuity between the income/taxation of individuals, and the income/taxation of large businesses and their 'top-level' employees.
OK, i'm going to drop a bombshell, here...
There is no need for an 'austerity' budget.
There is no need to undermine the NHS, schools, and public services in general.
The austerity is fabricated.
Money is not sparse - it is in the hands of those who will not use it for the benefit of any one who is not themselves.
If Jimmy Carr's been offered a way to PERFECTLY LEGALLY avoid paying tax, then complain about the system - no-one should be surprised by somebody else wanting to pay less tax, and them taking the opportunity!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18531008
http://news.uk.msn.com//blog/trending-blogpost.aspx?post=446ca4a2-3ac4-4b1d-838d-ac062c80bbdd&_nwpt=1
David Mitchell on the tax situation of David Cameron's old Bullingdon Club chum, and now Chancellor (what a coincidence!) George Osborne:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/31/david-mitchell-george-osborne-tax
"The rules are universal but unfair. They allow the rich to avoid tax without having to evade it and Osborne, as chancellor, is responsible. We should be protesting about this, not that he's keeping as much of his own money as the law currently permits."
It is the tax law that is wrong -- no-one should be expected to have the foresight and understanding to offer social taxation without so much as a prompt. That is an impractical way to run a country.
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If you feel slightly non-plussed by my describing Osborne as "Cameron's old Bullingdon Club chum", then here is the explanation:
{warning: what you read might leave you feeling nauseous!}
http://llewblog.squarespace.com/journal/2012/6/15/posh.html
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