Should our politicians hand over their tax returns?
The annual cry for politicians to offer up their tax returns is upon us. Philip Fisher ponders whether Donald Trump will finally hand over his returns and if Boris Johnson should get a decent financial adviser.
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I certainly think that anyone campaigning for more tax transparency and 'tax justice' should be prepared to publish their own personal tax returns.
It's a matter of public record that tax campaigner Richard Murphy has frequently been challenged to publish his own personal tax returns and has repeatedly refused to do so.
Has he got anything to hide? I guess we will never know.
I have mixed feelings on this. If we suspect misconduct then go through the proper channels. If we do not then its none of our business. As an aside I see JC publishes his tax returns which usually show zero or very little interest earnings. He comes from a wealthy family, earns 4x the UK average salary, must have paid off his mortgage long ago, kids are grown up, don't see him driving a car, eats beans not meat etc etc so maybe he needs a financial adviser too! Or shall we suspect that he must have his spare cash in some kind of tax avoidance scheme? But I don't suspect that of it him in the least. I do suspect Bojo lives a more active life and might run through money but that's none of my business.
I would however like to see all MPs expense claims.