I'm old enough to remember the radio series The Men from The Ministry (it ceased in 1977) which was, I suppose a sort of fore-runner to Yes Minister.
I can't remember much about it except for one line about how the secretary working in the department was judged to be improving because she had ceased to type letters which began "Dear Sir or Madman".
SJWs are very fond of the 'multiplier' effect of government spending. Government spends, this money boosts the economy, the government benefits from increased tax take. It practically pays for itself, so the more government spends, the richer it gets, so all this talk of the need for austerity is just neoliberal nonsense. Quite how governments end up in debt according to this theory is a mystery.
But surely the same applies to the so-called tax gap? If Bob (who happens to be a builder and pays higher rate tax) decides to not declare £10k of profit, he can save himself £4k in tax. He now has £10k to spend instead of £6k. Sooner or later it will be spent with someone who does declare it and tax will be paid. So in fact, there is no tax gap at all. I now claim my RM medal of logic. Can I have a grant to continue this vital research?
It's all too late anyway. St Greta told us in June 2018 that if we didn't abandon fossil fuels in the next 5 years it would be too late. Well, here we are, 5 years later.
Oh, sorry, I forgot, the predictions of doom are always 5 years/10 years (whatever) from the day they are made and when repeated 5 or 10 years later, when the apocalypse hasn't occurred, it's another 5 or 10 years from then. In 1989 the UN Environment Programme issued a report giving us 10 years to change before (among other things) we'd loose low lying islands in the Caribbean and Egypt would be flooded. Stubbornly, the Islands are still there and Egypt remains sandy not soggy.
And it's been that way for decades. 5/10 years to act, doom if we don't.
I appreciate that 'the science has been settled' but I'm curious. On what date was it that we knew everything about climate science and knew there was nothing left to learn? Why are there still climate scientists? What are they doing if everything is known?
Dale Vince is on a "mission is to end extreme wealth".
He also supports 'Just Stop Oil'.
Well, that would probably do it. Or rather it would change the definition, as anyone with a warm, lit house in winter would be described as having extreme wealth.
""Do as I say, not what I do" seems to be the mantra ... just a little more obviously, and entirely without shame, as each year passes."
Surely not a reference to the refusal of our gallant campaigner for openness, transparency and paying a 'fair' amount of tax to publish his own tax returns? He's got nothing to hide, honest!
I think there was a shift round about 2008. Soon after that politicians started talking about a 'moral duty' to pay taxes and paying one's 'fair share'. Utter nonsense of course.
Then SJW tax campaigners saw an opportunity to jump on the band wagon and create a career out of grants from gullible charities to write meaningless 'reports' about how unfair everything was and if only they could tax "that rich bloke over there" a bit more, then everything would be lovely.
Like every great snake oil salesman knows, tell people that their problems are someone else's fault and it can all be put right at someone else's expense and you have a willing audience.
The current economic crisis we're in just adds fuel to this fire.
We're now a long way from:
“No man in the country is under the smallest obligation, moral or other, so to arrange his legal relations to his business or property as to enable the Inland Revenue to put the largest possible shovel in his stores.
The Inland Revenue is not slow, and quite rightly, to take every advantage which is open to it under the Taxing Statutes for the purposes of depleting the taxpayer’s pocket. And the taxpayer is in like manner entitled to be astute to prevent, so far as he honestly can, the depletion of his means by the Inland Revenue.”
My answers
I'm old enough to remember the radio series The Men from The Ministry (it ceased in 1977) which was, I suppose a sort of fore-runner to Yes Minister.
I can't remember much about it except for one line about how the secretary working in the department was judged to be improving because she had ceased to type letters which began "Dear Sir or Madman".
"I have no doubt many readers will have observed a reluctance on the part of those in power to increase the personal allowance and thresholds."
Personal tax allowance 2010-11 - £6,475.
Had it kept pace with inflation, it would have been £9,444 in April 2023.
He may well have relied on his mate down the pub. They always have great advice on tax planning.
SJWs are very fond of the 'multiplier' effect of government spending. Government spends, this money boosts the economy, the government benefits from increased tax take. It practically pays for itself, so the more government spends, the richer it gets, so all this talk of the need for austerity is just neoliberal nonsense. Quite how governments end up in debt according to this theory is a mystery.
But surely the same applies to the so-called tax gap? If Bob (who happens to be a builder and pays higher rate tax) decides to not declare £10k of profit, he can save himself £4k in tax. He now has £10k to spend instead of £6k. Sooner or later it will be spent with someone who does declare it and tax will be paid. So in fact, there is no tax gap at all. I now claim my RM medal of logic. Can I have a grant to continue this vital research?
It's all too late anyway. St Greta told us in June 2018 that if we didn't abandon fossil fuels in the next 5 years it would be too late. Well, here we are, 5 years later.
Oh, sorry, I forgot, the predictions of doom are always 5 years/10 years (whatever) from the day they are made and when repeated 5 or 10 years later, when the apocalypse hasn't occurred, it's another 5 or 10 years from then. In 1989 the UN Environment Programme issued a report giving us 10 years to change before (among other things) we'd loose low lying islands in the Caribbean and Egypt would be flooded. Stubbornly, the Islands are still there and Egypt remains sandy not soggy.
And it's been that way for decades. 5/10 years to act, doom if we don't.
I appreciate that 'the science has been settled' but I'm curious. On what date was it that we knew everything about climate science and knew there was nothing left to learn? Why are there still climate scientists? What are they doing if everything is known?
Dale need not wait if he is concerned that HMG isn't getting enough money. He can make voluntary contributions to the government now.
They even have a web page telling you how.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/voluntary-payments-donations-to-government
I expect HMG will send a nice thank you letter.
Dale Vince is on a "mission is to end extreme wealth".
He also supports 'Just Stop Oil'.
Well, that would probably do it. Or rather it would change the definition, as anyone with a warm, lit house in winter would be described as having extreme wealth.
Nothing to stop people filing a tax return anyway.
HMRC treat these as voluntary or 'unsolicited' and they are processed in exactly the same way.
If someone is currently in the SA system, it's no big deal.
""Do as I say, not what I do" seems to be the mantra ... just a little more obviously, and entirely without shame, as each year passes."
Surely not a reference to the refusal of our gallant campaigner for openness, transparency and paying a 'fair' amount of tax to publish his own tax returns? He's got nothing to hide, honest!
"...when did tax avoidance become illegal?"
I think there was a shift round about 2008. Soon after that politicians started talking about a 'moral duty' to pay taxes and paying one's 'fair share'. Utter nonsense of course.
Then SJW tax campaigners saw an opportunity to jump on the band wagon and create a career out of grants from gullible charities to write meaningless 'reports' about how unfair everything was and if only they could tax "that rich bloke over there" a bit more, then everything would be lovely.
Like every great snake oil salesman knows, tell people that their problems are someone else's fault and it can all be put right at someone else's expense and you have a willing audience.
The current economic crisis we're in just adds fuel to this fire.
We're now a long way from:
“No man in the country is under the smallest obligation, moral or other, so to arrange his legal relations to his business or property as to enable the Inland Revenue to put the largest possible shovel in his stores.
The Inland Revenue is not slow, and quite rightly, to take every advantage which is open to it under the Taxing Statutes for the purposes of depleting the taxpayer’s pocket. And the taxpayer is in like manner entitled to be astute to prevent, so far as he honestly can, the depletion of his means by the Inland Revenue.”