Leekbrookgull
Well-known member
Once again,and apart from the pun,good work Daivd Conn.
Pretty much everyone is in agreement that the HMRC should not send demands until a judgment has been made. When did this law come in though?
But why should we the taxpayers be out of pocket whilst the process goes on? Pay the tax you should have ...
I would question the priorities of any Government that consider this more important than the stunning amount of corporation tax huge companies appear to be able to avoid paying in the UK these days.
I wonder if the people who rush to defend millionaires who avoid their taxes (by fair means or foul) are the same people who cheer to the rafters when governments announce yet another crackdown on social security fraud?
The principle seems to be: Fiddle £2,000,000 in tax, and we should turn a blind eye or sympathise that your being victimised.
Fiddle £15 (working cash-in-hand in a pub two nights week, for example) while claiming social security - because you can't
manage on the paltry amount you get in Income Support - and you'll be hounded from all sides as a dishonest piece of trash.
We kow-tow to the super-rich and sympathise with their 'suffering', yet kick the poor and love seeing them suffer.
Incidentally, as to the claim that this is unfair because it is 'retrospective' - the 'bedroom tax' on the unemployed was 'retrospective - they didn't say 'we'll impose this new limit on any new welfare claimant', it was applied to everyone on benefits who was judged to have more rooms than they needed.
Where were the bleeding-hearts then, saying, 'ooh, this isn't fair, it's being applied retrospectively, people are going to experience severe financial hardship'?
This is not fair, though I do understand that someone who is expecting to made bankrupt in a few weeks time, may find ways to make some of their wealth disappear before the tax man gets the court ruling.
One of the biggest issues is that HMRC doesn't even understand tax itself and is pretty poorly run. I struggle to believe they have the skill set to work out these schemes given it took them 7 attempts to agree just a single year of my tax liabilities ( as well as 18 letters from them and six phone calls from me ). HMRC aren't even responsible to a specific Minister - they are stand alone. Try making a complaint against them - the hoops you have to jump through are unbelievable.
If people are evading tax then fine, deal with them but HMRC needs some of it's power taken away and brought under the responsibility of a Minister.
So the HMRC can also add politics into the mix?
I agree. Let the judiary decide, but don't bankrupt people whilst the legal process is still ongoing.
I would question the priorities of any Government that consider this more important than the stunning amount of corporation tax huge companies appear to be able to avoid paying in the UK these days.
Besides, not everyone is a tax expert, why should WE have to guide them ? For a vast majority of people their tax affairs are simple yet HMRC don't even get those cases right.