Machiavelli you'll find this R4 prog interesting - the history of the global £1T offshore banks / money laundering industry. Listening to it now.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017t8k
Being in the profession a long time, my personal take is that the definition (you’re right, it’s subjective) has evolved.
In say 1990, there was a straight dichotomy in discussions - evasion is illegal, avoidance was generally legitimate from tax planning as long as the transactions had a...
On that very last point we may never know, but with Arron Banks, Farage, one or two others …. probably. I’m less conspiratorial than other posters, I don’t think most Tory and Labour celebs/backers of the UK leaving the EU did it to reduce their tax bills over time or increase the scope for tax...
Obviously far more people run small businesses now, this was true pre-lockdown/pandemic which we know increased it further.
In the noughties, Brown encouraged people to incorporate sole traders/partnerships into limited companies. Hence the favourable tax regime (not so favourable now btw)...
I think we differ here, because I see it as a wholly global issue in 2021 and that includes the solutions. It's so complex, all the tax evaders and their tax lawyer/accountant facilitators love it that way.
Practical points rather than throwing in the towel:
1.I like the action on...
Hi, I probably know very little more than you, just some professional experience/understanding of the UK’s tax system. Plus, like you, a personal inquisitiveness into and loathing of tax evasion and immoral tax avoidance.
I think the disparity you touch on is that the HMRC are tasked with tax...
Think about it, Bliar invaded Iraq just to feather Cherie and his nest with oil monies, all run through tax havens, then reinvested in £b’s of property in central London. You know it makes complete sense.
Machiavelli this was only just released and is comprehensive.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps/measuring-tax-gaps-2021-edition-tax-gap-estimates-for-2019-to-2020
Anecdotally, in recent years I’ve seen the work of new HMRC teams targeting eg Net High Worth...
Will do, it seems now blocked by the nsc administrator. Just need to find it again!
As an accountant, I steadily see lots of objective tax gap data like this. Personally wanting it tackled from the tax fraudulent billionaire, tax avoiding celeb, down to the tax fraudster small business, the...
FYI.
HMRC have been compiling detailed analysis of the tax gap for 16 years, as a proportion of the theoretical total tax take if every person and entity paid their true liabilities. This is comprehensive, it covers every type of tax payer, every type of tax and duty, and evasion, fraud...
What was interesting from all the Lux/Panama/Switz papers was that there were literally 100,000’s of rich Germans and French folk, living in France and Germany, engaged in offshore illegal tax evasion. Some eye watering sums per individual.
An eye opener to me. Naively, perhaps I listen too...
Is this entirely new information, that is, not already found out from the Panama Papers, or from the information Germany secretly bought from insiders in Lux and Germany?