Google boss Eric Schmidt defended the way his company and others have paid so little tax on such very substantial profits by stating: All of us are operating in a very, very longstanding tax regime which was set up for various reasons that don’t necessarily make sense to me or anyone else. But they are […]
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Arrogance, Politicians And An Olympic Legacy
It’s long been thought that politicians have to be born with either a thick skin or a larger than normal dose of arrogance. Some, however, appear to be born with both. As a politician you can pretend to listen to your electorate and you can brush aside criticism of your party’s policies in the media. […]
Will The Olympic Flame’s Warmth Fade?
After seven years of planning, and 16 days of competition, the main Olympic flame has finally faded in London. While for now, we bathe in the warmth of it’s memory, the future might not be so warm. We started the Games by giving the world a bizarre history lesson of our country and we ended […]
Chancellor Suspends Fuel Tax Rise But…
The chancellor’s announcement, that he is suspending his planned 3p-per-litre fuel tax increase was a welcome U-turn along his road to austerity. Despite the reduced forecourt prices of the last few weeks, its implementation would still have had a huge impact on both businesses and individuals alike. Chancellor Osborne has stated publicly he has done […]
Politicians, Tax and the Moral Argument
According to Treasury Secretary, Danny Alexander, those who use tax avoidance measures to reduce their tax liabilities are the “moral equivalent of benefit cheats” He was speaking publicly after it was reported that comedian Jimmy Carr is saving himself masses of cash by using a tax avoidance scheme called K2. It works by transferring income […]
Just ‘Cause It’s Legal It Doesn’t Make It Right!
Chancellor George Osborne has today announced he is “shocked” by a fact most of us have been aware of for years – the richest people hang onto their wealth by organising their financial affairs to minimise the amount of tax they have to pay. Apparently, according to a study by HM Revenue and Customs, the […]
Fuelling A Panic?
If ever there was an example of our coalition government’s lack of understanding of ‘real’ people, it’s the latest debacle over a possible strike by tanker drivers who deliver the much needed fuel to our forecourts. Following on from its attempts to promote negative public opinion on benefit claimants, students, pensioners, pasty eaters […]
Driving Down Taxation Street!
Have you ever wondered just how much you spend on ‘fuelling up’ your car each year? If you are like me, you deliberately don’t keep a record, as you know it’s going to be a frightening amount of money. Let’s take it a stage further and work out how much of your hard earned wages […]
A Long Time Resting…..
It’s been almost two months since I’ve posted on here and I am ashamed of myself; I needed a break. I’ve also been testing new technologies to make my writing life easier but somehow I never got re-started. A lot has happened in the world in the time I have been away and if I […]
Cameron’s ‘Extravagant’ Arrogance Needs Cuts
In politics, there is a very fine line between arrogance and leadership and today, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, came close to proving my point. He has told opponents of his coalition’s housing benefits caps to “think again” describing the benefits as “extravagant” He also said: “Paying over £20,000 a year for the housing benefit […]