Expenditures

[bigbadwolf]

Following the recent media earthquake concerning politicians fiddling with tax payers money for their own benefit I thought it would be interesting, not to mention relevent, to ask you lot if you've ever claimed for stuff you shouldn't have. I personally haven't ever really had an expenses account but I have hired out machinerey and tools that I don't own to builders and friends over the weekend without the owners consent. I've made a tidy sum carrying out this blatant abuse of my position.

Over to you.

(Moved to the Lounge as it is not a current affair or topic relevant for the Drawing Room - The Administrator)

[mockney piers]

VeI've had a couple of nice meals and the odd drinkypoo on expenses but I don't think I've ever abused expenses. I think the company I worked for was insane to fly me out to an office in another country on premium price tickets every week when there were locals perfectly capable of doing the job but that was somebody elses problem.

Plus the taxpayer wasn't paying as that was before that Dutch bank got nationalised by the err...UK government;)

[DaveR]

I suspect it generally comes down to how easy it is to claim. A (tabloid) journalist friend is effectively given a certain sum per week and just has to collect enough receipts to cover it; it's treated as part of the pay packet, and none is ever given back. In my current job the process is pretty tortuous so often I don't bother claiming for genuine expenses.

What you've been doing is a bit different tho' - and very enterprising (and highly illegal). The construction industry is notorious for fiddles, from top to bottom. I heard of a case where a quarry manager got caught flogging truck loads of gravel for cash in the dead of night, which anecdotally goes on all the time. I mean, how do you do a stocktake in a quarry?

[bigbadwolf]

Thanks for the tip Dave, I'll look into it. You're right however that what I have done (and still do) is illegal but I'm afraid that I'm a nefarious little shit when it comes to things like that. It's always returned though, mostly.