Osborne discovers that the rich avoid paying tax

[Flosshilde]

George Osborne is apparently 'shocked' that rich people avoid paying tax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/10/george-osborne-shocked-tax-avoidance

Next week: he discovers that the Pope is Catholic, & bears s**t in the woods.

[Nick Armstrong]

George Osborne is apparently 'shocked' that rich people avoid paying tax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/10/george-osborne-shocked-tax-avoidance

Next week: he discovers that the Pope is Catholic, & bears s**t in the woods.

Great punchline Flossie! Still chuckling here

[Mahlerei]

Perhaps he'll 'discover' how little tax he pays; he's admitted he doesn't pay top whack.

[anotherbob]

If Gideon is truly shocked he's in the wrong job. If he thinks I believe he's truly shocked he's in the wrong job.

[MrGongGong]

This is all news to me
I thought that people were rich because they worked hard and were clever (like EVERYONE who goes to Oxbridge) and as such felt that they should contribute to wider society and those with less than themselves ?

no shit sherlock indeed

Just wait till he finds his c*ck there'll be no stopping him then !

[scottycelt]

Oh come on ... after all, he is the country's Chancellor of the Exchequer, so this is really fantastic news ... who else would even have guessed it? ... well spotted, young George!

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh come on ... after all, he is the country's Chancellor of the Exchequer, so this is really fantastic news ... who else would even have guessed it? ... well spotted, young George!

I know someone who attended maths lessons with him at school...

...

...

.......

[MrGongGong]

Well I guess it shows what an Oxford education does for you !

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Just wait till he finds his c*ck there'll be no stopping him then !

Not with both hands and a map!

[Stunsworth]

This is the same man who has millions in an offshore trust fund. Pigs, snouts and troughs come to mind.

[teamsaint]

This is all news to me
I thought that people were rich because they worked hard and were clever (like EVERYONE who goes to Oxbridge) and as such felt that they should contribute to wider society and those with less than themselves ?

no shit sherlock indeed

Just wait till he finds his c*ck there'll be no stopping him then !

Please please stop, that hurt I laughed so much.

[handsomefortune]

"anonymised" tax returns

i've never seen anonymous used like that before! gideon 'tasked' hm r&c obviously. he was that concerned, (if a bit late on this issue)

a shame that there's no name attached to paper work, as presumably some might just be penalised for paying too little/no tax, IF gideon was really serious. (as it stands, he was probably just picking up tips as to how he might avoid paying ANY tax himself, and booking in holidays with his pals in monaco, using hm r&c resources)?

a 'funny' photo of gideon in 'the guardian' (and elsewhere), in relation to this non news. what's he doing with his lips? what word was gideon saying when the photo was taken i wonder.

the idea that hm revenue & customs have apparently been 'helping' mr osbourne is presumably a myth. allegedly, the very first cuts torys made in 2010 were designed to strip funding away from hm r & c departments with more sophisticated investigative powers, those suitable for tracking down 'errors' made by the very rich....... according to news reports. so presumably the facial antics, and the accompanying 'news' are just (silly) 'distractions' designed by a govt pr dept. perhaps cruddas suggested it'd 'look good' (he knows about such matters ), so gideon went for it, the great twit.... how come he's not worried that the public might see his pathetic, lamentable efforts?

[ahinton]

Frankly, so what? Anyone (I don't actually say "everyone") who can do so may do so - that's to say take advice to reduce his/her tax bill as far as possible by legal means, in the full knowledge that, if the going gets tough enough for any Chancellor to feel it incumbent upon him her to try to close as many loopholes as possible, not only will those taxpayers have the option to relocate, they will also have ample reason to feel confident that such a ploy won't work because, after a while, almost any workable measures to close such loopholes will only result in more tax having also to be paid by those poorer taxpayers that can least afford to do so. This is what so often gets forgotten in these arguments - punish the rich enough and you'll end up punishing the poor as well; any tax adviser worth his/her salt knows that one like the back of his/her hand and most have probably learnt it at their respective mothers' knees or, if not, at university. A number of people that I know manage to avoid paying tax that they'd otherwise have to pay if they'd implemented no careful planning - and I'm talking here about people ending up paying a few hundred pounds per year only instead of a few thousand, not the "rich" people.

Having said all that, most people feel less "got at" by being expected to pay taxes if they can be made successfully to feel that they're getting a decent return on their investment; ask most Finns who pay almost half of their incomes in taxes but don't feel any particular reason to complain about being expected to do so because of what they perceive that they and the society within which they function get out of doing so.

[Lateralthinking1]

Frankly, so what? .....to close such loopholes will only result in more tax having also to be paid by those poorer taxpayers that can least afford to do so. This is what so often gets forgotten in these arguments - punish the rich enough and you'll end up punishing the poor as well; any tax adviser worth his/her salt knows that one like the back of his/her hand......

....Having said all that, most people feel less "got at" by being expected to pay taxes if they can be made successfully to feel that they're getting a decent return on their investment; ask most Finns who pay almost half of their incomes in taxes but don't feel any particular reason to complain about being expected to do so because of what they perceive that they and the society within which they function get out of doing so.

Fascinatingly contradictory.

[Beef Oven]

Frankly, so what? Anyone (I don't actually say "everyone") who can do so may do so - that's to say take advice to reduce his/her tax bill as far as possible by legal means, in the full knowledge that, if the going gets tough enough for any Chancellor to feel it incumbent upon him her to try to close as many loopholes as possible, not only will those taxpayers have the option to relocate, they will also have ample reason to feel confident that such a ploy won't work because, after a while, almost any workable measures to close such loopholes will only result in more tax having also to be paid by those poorer taxpayers that can least afford to do so. This is what so often gets forgotten in these arguments - punish the rich enough and you'll end up punishing the poor as well; any tax adviser worth his/her salt knows that one like the back of his/her hand and most have probably learnt it at their respective mothers' knees or, if not, at university. A number of people that I know manage to avoid paying tax that they'd otherwise have to pay if they'd implemented no careful planning - and I'm talking here about people ending up paying a few hundred pounds per year only instead of a few thousand, not the "rich" people.

Having said all that, most people feel less "got at" by being expected to pay taxes if they can be made successfully to feel that they're getting a decent return on their investment; ask most Finns who pay almost half of their incomes in taxes but don't feel any particular reason to complain about being expected to do so because of what they perceive that they and the society within which they function get out of doing so.

Excellent observations!