Damn Lefties

[TheAnimus]

So i go away for a few weeks and then this happens:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8410489.stm

Hospital cleaners are worth more to society than bankers, a study suggests.
The research, carried out by think tank the New Economics Foundation, says hospital cleaners create £10 of value for every £1 they are paid.

My favourate bit:

"Every pound that a tax accountant saves a client is a pound which otherwise would have gone to HM Revenue. For a salary of between £75,000 and £200,000, tax accountants destroy £47 in value, for every pound they generate."

I really dislike the interesting concept that a pound from HM Revenue is an economic loss.

What do they do with that pound, sit around and look at its glow? Invest it? Sure HMG needs more money so people can invade whomever they want grabbing hold of the flimsiest justification......

[Nobull]

benefit frauds are demonised and depicted as some scum of the earth criminals, why shouldn't people earning huge amounts of money who evade paying the correct taxes be demonised as well?

I don't really understand what your problem with the study is? That its speculative, As for your title of "Damn lefties" its not instantly obvious what that even refers to or how its relevant?

[Salazaar]

I thought this was going to be a rant about cackhanders

[Phage]

Also at the Grauniad. It's the typical jump-on-the-bandwagon bash a suit story.
They wouldn't know an economic benefit if it bit them on the gluteus maximus

[schmunk]

As a tax accountant, I can assure the baying crowds that this article is complete nonsense.

I assist clients to pay the *correct* amount of tax, i.e. the minimum legal liability based on their circumstances.

If they pay any more than this amount, then they are incorrectly overpaying tax. This is a concept which eludes many commentators.

There's no illegality, no magic tricks, we just follow the law and apply both the spirit and the letter.

[Salazaar]

There's no illegality, no magic tricks, we just follow the law and apply both the spirit and the letter.

Fraud and tax loopholes are completely different kettles of fish.

[Stoo]

The tax man won't say a thing if you overpay, they'll stay deathly silent in fact, under pay however, and they're all over you like a rash..

The accountant my Dad uses has saved him thousands in unnecessary taxation over the past few years from what appears to be "ball-park" accounting on the part of revenue and customs..

[Salazaar]

The tax man won't say a thing if you overpay, they'll stay deathly silent in fact, under pay however, and they're all over you like a rash..

Not completely true, I got a three hundred pound rebate a few years ago. I didn't know anything about it until it turned up in the post one day.

[Fraz]

There's no illegality, no magic tricks, we just follow the law and apply both the spirit and the letter.

Don't make me laugh. Maybe you follow the spirit and the letter of the law, but I've certainly met a group of dentists recently who seem to only be paying tax to the letter of the law, and not its spirit. Considering they were all earning 150k+, they seemed to be paying less tax than I am, which I found pretty sickening. They were even laughing about it. Rich, greedy people, with zero social conscience. Too many of them about in this world, if you ask me.

Paying the correct amount of tax: obviously fine. But there are a lot of people out there who invest a lot of time in finding a new definition for the words "correct amount of tax".

[Lucio]

Don't make me laugh. Maybe you follow the spirit and the letter of the law, but I've certainly met a group of dentists recently who seem to only be paying tax to the letter of the law, and not its spirit. Considering they were all earning 150k+, they seemed to be paying less tax than I am, which I found pretty sickening. They were even laughing about it. Rich, greedy people, with zero social conscience. Too many of them about in this world, if you ask me.

Paying the correct amount of tax: obviously fine. But there are a lot of people out there who invest a lot of time in finding a new definition for the words "correct amount of tax".

Is this not a sign that our taxation system is incredibly over-complicated and in dire need of overhaul?

[jim]

Paying the correct amount of tax: obviously fine. But there are a lot of people out there who invest a lot of time in finding a new definition for the words "correct amount of tax".

/me points to Liechtenstein

I hate it too, but then I'm fairly sure all of the high earners would threaten to leave if all of the tax loopholes were closed.

[Fraz]

I hate it too, but then I'm fairly sure all of the high earners would threaten to leave if all of the tax loopholes were closed.

Good riddance to them. If they can't pay tax honestly, I'd rather they'd **** off.

[Phage]

Good riddance to them. If they can't pay tax honestly, I'd rather they'd **** off.

That's the difference. It is honest. They are applying all aspects of the legislation.
You're confusing ethics with the law.

[jim]

Good riddance to them. If they can't pay tax honestly, I'd rather they'd **** off.

Yeah, but you know that won't happen. People are too fearful of all the intelligent people sodding off, leaving us with 58m chavs and no economy. Whether that would happen... be my guest, but I've heard so many people whinge about it in the past that there's certainly a consensus from certain sectors of society.

[daniel_owen_uk]

God damn ink smudging lefties

[Fraz]

That's the difference. It is honest. They are applying all aspects of the legislation.
You're confusing ethics with the law.

I really don't care what I'm confusing. If you want to think it's honest, then go ahead. In the case of the dentists I mentioned earlier, I'm not even sure your rather literal understanding of the word honest was involved.