Labour's pink bus

[Loz]

Fink was technically correct. Is there anyone who hasn't practised some sort of tax avoidance? ISAs, duty free shopping, paying cash to avoid VAT, etc, etc.

[????]

Paying Cash IS Evasion Loz - I'd add giving money to a charitable trust - say for arts,- donating to charity, investing in films etc all as legitimate tax avoidance that give more choice etc and create different positive outcomes rather than 'the state' just decising what and who gets what. However buying wine and clever switching of bonuses etc are all avoidance but feel far less savoury.

The hysterical and typical ignorance and normal sh1te on Social media abouty this depresses me. But it would be better if they changed the semantics around 'avoidance'.....

[Loz]

Ah, good point on the paying cash, quids. Silly mistake of mine, considering I've explained to people avoidance vs evasion so many times.

[Robert Poste's Child]

There must be a lot of people on this forum who are paid via limited company and who use expenses, pension, entertainment etc to 'mitigate' (ie evade) their tax liability. I don't think it's fair to set the system and then accuse people of avoidance if they use those same rules to reduce their tax burden. Just fix the system and make the lines clearer.

[????]

Yup. Well said....... but i think you mean 'avoid', those are all legit

[????]

Pensions is a good example - you can argue about the fairness of 40% relief maybe - but tax relief for private pension contributions at the basic rate make sense all round. Means that us poor private sectors pensioners have an incentice to put away for our retirements (that public sector Final salary and/or defined contribution schemes don't need) which hopefully maens we'll have a decent enough (and taxable) income in retirement to not have to rely totally on the state...

Tax avoiding tossers we are of course.....

[numbers]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Lets hope it's a vote loser and the Tories get in.

Hurrah! You're funny again. Still got it.

[david_carnell]

Quids - as it was something Mrs Miliband did and not Ed I'm not sure how you blame the sins of the mother on the son. But if we want to talk about inherited wealth I'd be delighted to examine the fortune due to the resident of no11 Downing Street.

Meanwhile, as if to crow about their feminist credentials the Tories demean their most senior female MP, Teresa May, by renting her out as a personal shopper. You could buy a trip to get some shoes with the Home Sec at the last Tory fundraiser.

I think satire just ate itself.

[Loz]

david_carnell Wrote:

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> Meanwhile, as if to crow about their feminist credentials the Tories demean their most senior

> female MP, Teresa May, by renting her out as a personal shopper. You could buy a trip to get some

> shoes with the Home Sec at the last Tory fundraiser.

>

> I think satire just ate itself.

Why? May is known for her love of a good pair of shoes. Is is somehow anti-feminist to fund raise by offering something you actually like doing? Why is that more unacceptable than another MP offering dinner at their home? Does it matter that that MP is male or female? Or a afternoon jogging with another MP? Does that matter if that one is male or female?

Surely none of that is worse than putting your most senior female MP behind a kitchen table in a pink Barbie van?

[david_carnell]

I think the fact that our Home Sec is probably best known for shoes might tell you there is a problem with perception and media reporting, Loz.

I'd say it's equally as bad.

[Otta]

The whole kitchen table thing, naff as it may be, is because they're aiming for a particular type of woman who their research (rightly or wrongly) tells them will feel comfortable with that sort of setting.

It's not about the average EDF user.

[Bob Todd]

'It's not about the average EDF user.'

I thought the same, but the first photo-call was in a kitchen on a 'leafy Peckham street' (it looked like Choumert Road to me) with a story-teller, her partner and sons Archie and Milo. I don't think you'd need to stray too far from the 'Family Room' to find a similar family.

As regards Ed's tax arrangements: 'It was something Mrs Miliband did and not Ed.'

Ed's IHT and CGT liabilities would both have been affected by the change, so its highly likely he would have been a signatory. He's certainly not in any rush to get the document out in the open.

Ed was twenty odd at the time, and a key member of Gordon Brown's team as Shadow Chancellor. For him to basically say 'My Mum did it' and expect people to accept that as the end of the matter is preposterous.

If his mother didn't think he could trusted with his own financial arrangements, maybe he should have had a word with Tony Benn.

He also 'tax-planned' his way out substantial death duties.

[????]

david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Quids - as it was something Mrs Miliband did and

> not Ed I'm not sure how you blame the sins of the

> mother on the son. But if we want to talk about

> inherited wealth I'd be delighted to examine the

> fortune due to the resident of no11 Downing

> Street.

>

> Meanwhile, as if to crow about their feminist

> credentials the Tories demean their most senior

> female MP, Teresa May, by renting her out as a

> personal shopper. You could buy a trip to get some

> shoes with the Home Sec at the last Tory

> fundraiser.

>

> I think satire just ate itself.

Yup but it's not about inherited wealth is it. I've no problems with that as I don't hate wealth or wealth creation and actually I think 'mrs' Miliband was well within her rights to avoid tax (which is legal after all); it's about the utter hypocracy of Labour trying to make this a political issue when they are as guilty - see also their attitudes to private education. They are just middle-class cunts on the take too, in reality

[Blah Blah]

I think that's true ????. There's no doubt that those who create and run the system take full advantage of it too. And all MPs of all political parties are equally guilty of that. It's abit like awarding themselves a massive pay rise whilst everyone else is limited to either 1% or have had their salaries frozen. Politicians do have a poor image and they only have themselves to blame.

[Otta]

The pay rise wasn't rewarded to themselves, it was recommended by an independent body that sets MP pay, and all three "main party" leaders said it was inappropriate.