Big business is still underpaying billions in tax. The government is still coming after your hairdresser
[Image: Alamy].
I wrote: “HM Revenue and Customs’ list of tax dodgers… is the list compiled by HMRC in response to public outrage against the tax-dodging schemes of large corporations like Starbucks, Amazon, the water companies mentioned in this blog before Christmas, Vodafone, Arcadia group and so on.
“Who do you think this list marks out as public enemy number one?
“A hairdresser from Liverpool.
“Apparently this person was scalped of £17,000 for deliberate default. Others include a knitwear firm, a wine firm and a pipe fitter.
“Meanwhile the amount of cash seeded away in offshore tax havens by the UK’s super-rich is estimated at £21 trillion. That’s 21 TRILLION – more than enough to pay all of our debts and put us back into surplus.
“There is only one conclusion to be reached: The Chancellor is using the HMRC list to laugh at us. He’s mocking the poor, who have to pay tax no matter what. He’s not going to level the playing field because that would harm his own profits and those of his friends.
“The Chancellor of the Exchequer is deliberately harming the UK economy.”
In the words of the current (God help us!) prime minister: Nothing has changed.
On Wednesday 25 October, The Financial Times reported [paywall] that big business potentially underpaid£25bn in UK taxes last year. And on the same day, HMRC released a report into another group of people it claims don’t pay the right tax. But these people could be your mobile hairdresser, your gardener, or even your friend who sell items on eBay.
This is because the government wants to crack down on what it calls the ‘hidden economy’. But when you compare this to the amount of tax corporations potentially underpay by, it seems like the government’s resources could be better allocated elsewhere.
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Sadly I feel this is an example of what I can only describe as either passiveness or apathy of the UK people. The very fact this practice in absolute financial discrimination is long standing and STILL continues unchallenged…
As far as Tories are concerned tax is just for we “little people” to pay. They don’t want to contribute a penny to the society which they suck dry. Tories are evil.
Squeeze them at the bottom bleed them dry, well I’ll repair your car and you can paint my lounge help (I’ll buy the Paint you buy the car parts) each other and leave the Tories with there greed
It drives me nuts, when I hear about tax loopholes, because nobody seems to want to close them… except for John McDonnell, it would seem if my memory is correct. It was the same under Blair, when I was investigated. Stop complaining about, or making the excuse of loopholes and close the things!
I think we all have to ask WHAT ARE YOUR FIGGING DOING WITH IT!!”
TAX TAX TAX fact is even with basic tax with paying 20% vat on top and tax on this and tax on that 54% of wage goes back to govt in tax. If you are richer or business and paying 45% and business tax and vat plus plus plus you pay 74%-90% in tax.
Even the Queen must be miffed. All profits from the Crown estates go direct to govt of which she gets a small percent back to perform her duties. Last year Queenie gave 240million to govt from the estates.
She must be asking WTF!! R U DOING WITH IT!!
As Mama Rothschild in House of Rothschild 1934 film said when govts continued to make war and persecute Jews. “I suggest you withold their “pocketmoney” As trhey all came to Rothschilds to fund wars, uphold unstable govts and rescue crashed economies.
No wonder people put it in offshore accounts.
Trillions wont stop the fact govts waste and squander and iss it up the wall.